Poker is a card game of chance, but it also requires skill and psychology. While luck plays a large role in the outcome of any particular hand, over time it is expected that players will act according to the principles of probability, game theory and bluffing.

The game is played from a standard deck of 52 cards (although some variant games use multiple packs, add wild cards or use other rules). The cards are ranked in their suits (from high to low): Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, with the exception of the Ace which can be either high or low. All poker hands must contain five cards; the highest hand wins. If more than one hand has the same rank, ties are broken by the highest unmatched cards or secondary pairs (in a full house, for example).

After each player receives their two hole cards, there is a round of betting which begins with 2 mandatory bets placed in to the pot by the players to their left. Then 3 more cards are dealt face up: the flop, the turn and the river. Once again there is a round of betting before the cards are revealed and a winner declared.

The pot odds are a ratio between the amount of money in the pot and how much it costs to call a bet (to keep playing). If the odds of your made hand beating an opponent’s are better than 11-to-1, it is correct to call.