Poker is a card game played by players in rounds, with betting between hands. The game is famous for its bluffing and psychology, and it has become a major pastime for many people, played in homes, clubs, casinos, and on the Internet.

Each player starts with two cards hidden from other players (also known as hole or pocket cards). A round of betting begins. Once all the players have raised their bets to a certain amount, 3 cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table (revealed to all). These are community cards and are used by everyone to build their 5-card hand. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

Depending on the game variant, players may choose to call, raise or fold. Players can also bluff by betting that they have a good hand when in fact they do not.

A poker hand consists of five cards and is ranked according to its odds. The suit has no relative rank, and ties are broken by the highest unmatched pair (in a full house) or secondary pairs (in a four of a kind). In some games, there are wild cards, which can take any rank and suits.

In most cases, a player will only be able to win the pot when they have a high-ranked poker hand. However, it is also possible to win the pot by simply bluffing and raising the bets of other players when they have weaker hands.