Poker is a card game played by two or more players and involves betting. The best 5-card hand wins the pot, which is the total amount of money that has been put in as antes and blinds.
The cards used in poker are a standard 52-card pack with four suits: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. There are also wild cards, which take the rank of whatever suit and ranking they desire (such as one-eyed jacks or ten-of-spades). Some games use more than one deck and some even include jokers, but these are not considered to be part of the game of poker.
Each player is dealt two cards and then takes their turn to bet by either calling or raising. Once everyone has called or raised, the dealer puts a fifth card on the board, which is known as the river. At this point everyone can check their cards, raise again or fold their hands.
Advanced poker players think about hands in terms of ranges rather than just trying to put their opponent on a specific hand. This allows them to work out a wide selection of hands that their opponent could have and how likely it is they will make a good hand.
To learn more about the rules of poker, read our Poker Guide. You can also download our free poker software to play practice games with other people in the same location. Remember, never gamble with more than you can afford to lose and keep track of your wins and losses.