Poker is a card game in which players place bets and then reveal their cards in a showdown. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot. The game can be played by any number of players, though the ideal amount is six or more. A good poker player is able to read the other players and watch for tells, unconscious habits that can give away information. She or he also has to be able to take risks and bluff when necessary.
The highest hand in poker is the royal flush, which consists of four matching cards of the same rank and five consecutive cards of the same suit. The second-highest hand is a straight, which contains five consecutive cards of one suit. The third-highest is three of a kind, which consists of three cards of the same rank and two matching cards of another rank. The lowest hand is a pair, which consists of two distinct pairs of cards. The high card breaks ties in the event of identical hands.
The game begins when the first player places a bet, called the ante. The other players may either call or raise the ante. If they raise the ante, they must match the amount raised by the previous player to stay in the pot. They may also fold. If they fold, they must turn their cards into the dealer face-down, so that no one else can see them.