Poker is a card game that involves betting and forming hands. It is played by two or more players and takes place in a round, with each player putting in a mandatory bet called the blinds before the cards are dealt. After each round, a new set of cards is dealt and there is another round of betting. A player can fold (quit the hand), call, raise, or check. A player who raises the stakes puts more money into the pot than a previous player.
There are various different hand rankings in poker, with the best being a full house. A full house consists of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A flush consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, and a straight contains five cards of consecutive ranks from more than one suit. Three of a kind contains three cards of the same rank, and two pair is made up of two matching cards plus two unmatched cards.
In a showdown, the highest ranking hand wins the pot. Usually, you will not want to make a showdown hand unless you have the highest one at the table, because it will cost you money. This is because you will have to put in more money into the pot in order to beat an opponent who has a better hand.