Poker is a card game in which players place bets on each other’s hands. At the end of a round, all bets are collected into a central pot. If a player loses his hand, he forfeits his right to compete for the pot. There are a variety of strategies that can be used to determine the winners of the round.

Poker hands can be either two of a kind or a pair. A pair is a set of five cards. If more people have a pair, the higher pair wins. In a tie, the second-highest pair wins. The highest card in each hand breaks ties unless someone has a pair.

After the third betting phase, the player with the best hand in the hand is dealt a fifth card face up. After that, another betting phase follows. The final round is called showdown. Each player then reveals their cards, which must be the best five-card hand. If the player with the best hand wins, they take the pot.

The game of poker can be played with any number of players, though six to eight players is considered optimal. There are several ways to win, such as a straight or a flush. In a nutshell, a straight is a set of five cards of the same suit.