Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It may be a relaxing pastime or a way to make money, but it also teaches people how to read their opponents and develop bluffing skills. The game also teaches people how to handle stress and stay focused in high-stakes situations.

There are many different forms of poker, but most involve forcing a bet (often called an ante or blind bet) from each player before they receive their cards. The players then place these chips in a central pot before being dealt cards. The player with the best hand wins the pot, which consists of all bets made in that round. A poker hand comprises five cards.

Players must bluff to win, but they can also lose by calling a bet when they don’t have the best hand. The value of a hand is in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency, with rarer hands being worth more than less common ones.

After the first betting interval of each deal, players reveal their cards and evaluate their hands according to the rules of the poker variant being played. The best poker hand wins the pot, which consists of the bets that remain in the middle after the final betting round.

A full house has 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank, while a flush has 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. The highest pair wins ties, and the high card breaks ties in case of a tie between the highest pairs.