Poker is a card game with a large component of chance. It involves betting between players on the strength of their cards and on other factors such as position and bluffing. It is a game of skill and psychology as much as chance.

Each player puts up an amount of money to start the betting. This is called the ante. They then receive 2 cards face down. When it is their turn they can choose to call, raise, or fold. Each of these decisions should be made based on the strength of their starting hand, their position at the table and other actions taken by the other players.

There are many different variants of poker, but the most popular is Texas Hold’em. Each game has certain rules but the most important is that there is an ante. This is a small amount of money that all players must place before they can see their cards and bet on them.

After the antes have been placed, 3 community cards are dealt onto the table. This is known as the flop. A second round of betting takes place after this. A third card is then revealed, which is known as the turn, and a final round of betting takes place after this, called the river.

A standard poker hand is made up of 5 cards. The rank of a hand is determined by its probability (the higher the probability, the better the hand). A royal flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight is five cards of consecutive rank, but of different suits. Three of a kind is three matching cards of one rank, and a pair is two cards of the same rank.