Poker is a card game played from a standard 52-card pack (with variations that sometimes use multiple packs or add extra cards as jokers). Each player makes a five-card hand using their own two cards and the five community cards in the center of the table. The highest hand wins the pot. During each betting interval, or round, players can either call a bet – put the same amount of money in the pot as the previous player – raise it by placing more chips into the pot than the previous player or simply fold.
Once everyone has received their two hole cards, a round of betting begins. The first round of betting is initiated by two mandatory bets, called blinds, placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. These bets happen before the players are dealt their cards and are required so that there is some money in the pot to encourage people to play.
After the blinds have been placed, each player receives their 2 hole cards. From this point, the players can begin making their best five card poker hand from the combination of their own two cards and the 5 community cards in the center of the table.
A high poker hand contains 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank (such as three sixes). A flush is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight is 5 cards that skip around in rank but are from more than one suit. A pair is two matching cards of the same rank, such as two aces.