Poker is a card game in which players compete against each other to make the best hand possible. The player with the best hand wins the pot of money.

There are several different types of poker, each with its own set of rules. However, they all share the same core elements.

The game starts with a dealer, who is responsible for shuffling the cards and dealing them to the players. Usually, the dealer is not a player.

After the deck is shuffled and the players have been dealt their hands, each player is able to see their cards and place bets accordingly. After betting, players may discard up to three cards and take new ones from the top of the deck.

A hand comprises five cards. A pair of aces, for example, is the lowest possible hand, while a straight flush is the highest.

If no one has a pair or better, the high card is used to break ties. If two or more players have the same highest card, the second-highest card wins.

There are two main types of poker: draw and stud.

The first type is a five-card draw, in which the players each receive a complete hand, face-down. They then bet in a round of play, with raising and re-raising allowed.

The second type is a five-card stud, in which each player is dealt two extra cards (three face-down and four face-up), from which they must make the best possible five-card hand. The best five-card hand breaks a tie and wins the pot of money.