Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It has hundreds of different variations, but all share the same objective of making the best five-card hand. It is believed to be an ancestor of other games, including blackjack and rummy.

When betting is in your turn, you can either call the amount raised by the previous player or raise it yourself. You can also check, which means you will pass your turn and wait for the other players to act. If you don’t want to bet at all, you can fold.

A player who has called the last raise must increase his stake to match the total so far staked by the last raiser. He may also raise it further if he chooses. If he is unwilling to do either, he must fold. This equalization method is also known as the “matching” method.

If a player has a high pair, it breaks ties. If the hand does not qualify as a high pair, the highest single card wins.

If more than one player has a high pair, then the higher card wins (five aces beats five kings, for example). The pot is the sum of all bets made in a hand. If a player is all-in, he can only win the pot to which he contributed. Side pots can be created from additional money bet by the remaining players, which is not eligible to win the main pot.