Poker is a card game played from a standard deck of 52 cards (some games use multiple packs or add jokers). The cards are ranked, from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The game can be played with any number of players from 2 to 14; in most cases, six players are the ideal amount. The players compete for the pot, a sum of money that is accumulated by each player in each deal.

There are many variations of the game, each with its own rules. Each variant has different betting intervals and rules for when a player can make a bet, raise, or call.

During the first betting round, each player is dealt a hand of cards face down. They must then place an ante, which is the amount of money they are willing to invest in the pot. They can then choose to either “call,” which matches the bet placed by the previous player, or “raise,” which adds more chips to the pot.

A player may also “drop,” or fold, if they do not wish to participate in the bet. A drop occurs when a player does not put in any chips, discards their hand, and is out of the game until the next deal.

The game is won by having the best hand. A hand of aces wins the most, followed by kings and queens. In the event that there is a tie, a player’s hand is valued at the highest card.