Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the value of their hand of five cards. Each player must either match or raise a previous bet or drop out of the betting round. The player who makes the highest hand wins the pot. Players may also bluff, betting that they have a high hand when in fact they do not.

The game’s rules vary, but most involve a fixed number of cards dealt face down to each player and a betting round. Then, the players reveal their cards and compete for the pot. Some games use wild cards or other special cards to add interest and complexity.

A pair of matching cards, such as two aces or two kings. If a player has a pair and no other cards of the same rank, they win the pot. Three of a kind is three cards of the same rank, such as Ks-Kd-Kc-4c-8h. If two hands have the same rank, the highest card outside the pair wins.

Four of a kind is four cards of the same rank, such as 4-4-2-5-6-8. If two hands have the same rank, they split the pot.

In Hi-Lo games, the best high hand wins half the pot and the best low hand wins the other half. A qualified low hand must consist of five cards below eight, and straights and flushes count against it. Knowing your opponents is a key aspect to success in poker, and this can be achieved by paying attention to subtle physical tells and analysing their betting behaviour.