Poker is a card game that is played by two or more players and involves betting. It has become one of the world’s most popular games and is played socially for pennies or in famous casinos for thousands of dollars. Poker is often described as a game of chance, but it requires a great deal of skill and knowledge of strategy.

In poker, each player has a set number of chips that they use to place bets. They can call (match) a bet by placing the same amount of money in the pot as the previous player, raise by raising the bet, or fold. The player who makes a raise must have enough chips to cover the other players’ calls, and must also have more than the minimum required to call in order to participate in the next round of betting.

When playing poker, a hand consists of five cards of the same rank. The highest ranking hand wins. The rank is based upon the one card of the highest value in the player’s hand. For example, a pair consisting of two matching cards or a high card and a low card is the highest combination.

To play poker, a player must buy in for a certain amount of money. This is done by placing a white chip in the center of the table for a minimum bet of one dollar. Each player then places the rest of their chips into the betting pot, either calling or raising, depending on their confidence in their hand.