Poker is a card game that involves betting and requires an ability to read your opponents. It is most commonly played with a standard deck of cards and poker chips, but variations exist for games with different numbers of players. Players place forced bets, called the blind or ante, into a central pot before being dealt cards. Once the blind or ante is in, each player can choose to raise their bets or fold. A player can win the pot by having a high-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls.

The number of cards in a poker hand determines the type of hand. A flush contains 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A full house contains 3 cards of the same rank and 2 cards of another rank. A straight contains 5 cards in order but not from the same suit. A pair is two cards of the same rank and one unmatched card.

When playing poker, a special fund known as the kitty is established by consensus or agreement among the players. The kitty is used to pay for new decks of cards, food, drinks, etc. During the course of a game, players may build up the kitty by “cutting” (taking) one low-denomination chip from each time there is more than one raise. The remaining chips in the kitty at the end of a game are divided equally by all players who remain in the game.