Poker is a card game in which players bet with chips that represent money. The game is played against other players and the object is to have the highest ranking hand at the end of the betting. The game can be played by two or more players and is usually dealt in rounds. The cards can be either face up or face down, depending on the variant of poker being played.
In most forms of poker, one or more players are required to make forced bets, usually an ante and sometimes a blind bet. These bets are made before the dealer shuffles, cuts and deals the players their cards. Each player places his bet in the pot, which is a central collection of chips representing all of the bets made by that player in that round. In some cases a player may choose to check, meaning that he does not wish to call any future bets.
A player must place a bet equal to the amount raised by the player to his immediate right in order to continue competing for the pot. If he does not raise sufficient amounts to match the other players, he forfeits his rights to the pot and will be out of the round.
The rank of a poker hand is determined by its odds (probability). A standard poker hand consists of a single pair of matching cards. Ties can occur, in which case the higher-ranked hand wins.