Poker is a gambling game played by a group of people around a table. The goal of the game is to build a pot by betting into it. There are a number of variations, including community card poker, split pot poker, and stud poker.

A standard pack of 52 cards is used for most poker games. These cards are ranked from Ace to Ace, and each hand is comprised of five cards. Players are usually given a certain amount of chips. White chips are typically the lowest valued chip, and red and blue chips are higher valued.

Poker is played by a group of players in a circular or oval table. Cards are dealt in clockwise order, beginning with the dealer. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot. Ties are broken when there is a tie of two or more cards. When a player has a high hand, he breaks the tie with the high card.

Before the cards are shuffled, a blind bet is placed. One player has the right to be the first to put a bet into the pot. This is known as “calling.” Another player may raise the bet.

If a player folds, he loses the right to compete in the pot. However, the player can bluff his opponent by betting he has the best hand.

Some games also have a wild card. A wild card is a card that can take any suit. In some poker games, a specific wild card is added to the standard 52-card pack.