Poker is a game of cards played by players, often more than 10, in which the goal is to make the best possible hand from a combination of cards. It can be played in a variety of ways and there are many different variations, but most involve dealing cards face down to each player.
Before the deal, each player may be required to contribute a small amount of chips, called an ante. In each betting interval, the first player to act must either “call” by putting into the pot exactly the same number of chips as the previous bettor; or “raise,” by putting into the pot more than enough chips to call; or “drop,” by removing all of their chips from the pot and discarding their hand.
A player may also choose to “check” (or stay in the hand) without making a bet, provided that no other players have made a bet in that betting interval. A player who checks is entitled to raise a bet that has been raised by another player unless it is decided that this practice is forbidden.
A five of a kind is the highest possible hand in Poker; other hands include: three of a kind, which consists of 3 cards of one rank and 2 unmatched cards; flush, which contains any 5 cards of the same suit, except those that skip around in rank or sequence; and straight, which contains 5 cards of consecutive rank. If two or more hands contain the same high pair, then they are compared by their next card.