Poker is a card game where each player competes against the others for money. The goal is to form the best five-card hand possible. The hands are determined by the cards dealt to each player, and by the flop, turn, and river.
Poker can be played with any number of players from 2 to 14, but most games are suited for 6 to 8 players. The player with the best hand wins the pot, which is the aggregate of all bets made in that deal.
A player’s hand is ranked by its highest single card, which is called the “high” or “top.” If two players have the same high, the second highest card is used to break the tie.
The player with the best five-card hand in a deal wins the pot. The best five-card hand is called a “pair.”
In most cases, skill dominates chance in determining the outcome of poker. It is difficult to determine the exact degree of skill in a player, though there are a few simple measures that can be used to broadly categorize players’ playing styles: