In poker, the goal is to have the best hand, or highest ranking hand. The winner is the player who has the most money after all the other players fold. In general, there are two ways to win: by betting aggressively or passively. A good example of a bluff hand is one in which the player goes all-in on the river. This is advantageous to the player because he will get at least a 2:1 return from the call. However, if his opponent doesn’t make a call, he would lose the hand and the pot would be divided between the players.

The most popular poker variation is Texas Hold’em. Each player starts with a small ante bet, usually around $1 or $5. The dealer then deals two cards to each player. Once all players have received their cards, they must make a decision to bet, fold, check, match, or raise.

When the first player folds, all other players can’t raise their bets and can only check or fold. During the betting phase, the winner is the player who has the best hand. In the meantime, the losing player loses the original pot. Similarly, different players may win both the main pot and the side pots.

In theoretical poker, the stakes may be doubled every time a player raises his bet. However, the house rules generally only allow doubling a stake for a short period of time. After three or four raises, stakes can become so large that doubling them further would push the player out due to lack of funds.