Poker is a card game where players compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by the participants (called the pot). Players make bets on the strength of their cards and their knowledge of their opponents. During betting intervals, players have the option to check, call, raise or fold.

The game is played with a standard 52-card deck, with some games using multiple packs or adding one or two jokers. The cards are ranked in ascending order from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3 and 2. Some games also have wild cards that can take on any suit and rank.

A player can win the pot by making a winning poker hand from the five community cards dealt face up on the flop, turn and river in three stages. Alternatively, the player may win by making a bet that nobody else is willing to match.

Once the betting rounds on the first three streets have concluded, the fifth and final community card is dealt. This card, called the river, is followed by another round of betting. After all betting is completed, the remaining players with hole cards expose their cards and the winner is determined according to official poker hand rankings.

Each player has a certain number of chips, which are placed in the center of the table. There is usually a banker who keeps track of the chip values and issues new chips to players as needed. Private transactions between players are prohibited, and players should only obtain more chips from the banker or by returning them to him.