Poker is a card game in which players wager on the strength of their hand. There are many variants of the game, but they all have similar rules. The object is to win the pot, or the aggregate of all bets placed in a single deal. A player may win the pot by having the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. The game is played with a standard pack of 52 cards, although some games use multiple packs or add wild cards.
In most forms of poker, each player contributes chips (representing money) to the pot before being dealt a hand of cards. After the initial bet, a series of betting intervals is conducted in clockwise order. In the betting interval a player has the option to call, raise, or fold his or her cards.
In most poker games the highest-ranking hand wins. However, ties can arise in certain situations. For example, if two hands have the same rank of pair, the hand with the higher kicker wins. If the same hand has three of a kind or four of a kind, the lower of the two ranks wins. In addition, some games allow players to make high-card side-pots in the event of a tie for the rank of a pair, three of a kind, or four of a kind.
