Poker is a card game played by millions of people, both in private homes and in casinos. It is also widely played in poker clubs and over the Internet, where it has become a very popular pastime. It is sometimes called the national card game of America, and its play and jargon permeate American culture. The object of the game is to win the pot, which consists of all the bets made in any given hand. This can be done by either calling the bet, raising it, or folding. Players can also bluff by betting that they have a superior hand when they do not.

To begin playing poker, each player must ante something (amount varies by game). Then they are dealt cards. When it is their turn, they can either call the bet or raise it. They can also check (i.e., fold). It is important to know how to read the other players and watch for tells, which are unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand.

The highest ranking poker hand is the royal flush, which consists of four matching cards of the same rank and five consecutive cards of the same suit. If there are two hands that have this combination, the higher hand wins. Other common hands include a straight, three of a kind, and a pair. If no one has a winning hand, the pot is shared among the players with ties for the highest-ranking hand.