Poker is a card game played by several players. The goal of the game is to win the pot of money by making the best possible hand. Although there are various variants of the game, the basic rules are the same.

One player makes the first bet. After this, the rest of the players in the round must match the bet by placing a number of chips in the pot. This is known as the ante. If a player is forced to make a bet before the deal, he may forfeit his ante.

The pot consists of all the bets placed by the players in the game. It is customary for a game to have a maximum limit on bets. However, if the players have exposed pairs, they may have a greater cap.

The best natural hand is a straight flush. A straight flush is made by using five cards of the same suit.

One of the most popular types of poker is called the “straight.” When two or more players make a straight, the one that wins is the high card. In some games, the ace is the highest card and is treated as the lowest card.

Aside from the standard 52 card deck, there are several other kinds of cards to play with. For example, the wild card is a special kind of card that can be used in place of a traditional card to make the highest possible hand. Some poker variants even have jokers.