Poker is a card game played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Players form hands with five cards each, and the hand containing the best combination wins half the pot.

Several variants of the game exist, with different rules and bet structures. However, most games follow the same basic structure.

To get started, each player must bet a small amount, known as an ante. The first player to bet is said to have made the first move. The bettor may raise, call or fold.

If the first bet is not sufficient, the bettor may raise the ante again. If no other players call, the pot is won.

A high card can break ties, as can a low hand, but only if the highest ranked card remains in the deck. This may not always be the case, since players can make five of a kind with wild cards, and a straight can be high or low.

The high card is not the only way to win, and some games have specific wild cards, such as a jack of diamonds or a king of hearts.

A better way to win is to make a hand that no one else has. The lowest possible hand is seven-five-four-three in two or more suits, while a straight flush is a five-card hand in the same suit.

The best poker hand can consist of any of the following combinations: a high card, a pair of aces, a straight, a bluff, and a five of a kind.