Poker is a card game in which players try to make the best hand possible. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

The game is played from a standard pack of 52 cards (some games use more than one pack and add a few jokers) rankled from high to low. The standard poker hands are ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.

Each player is dealt five cards face down. Then, each player places an ante and is given the opportunity to discard up to three of their original cards and take new ones from the deck. After betting, another round of betting takes place and a showdown occurs where the best hand wins.

Ties are broken by the highest unmatched card or secondary pairs (in a full house). Two or more identical hands divide winnings equally.

Wild cards are often used in poker; they can take on any suit and are ranked by their possessor’s desire. They can also be used to break ties by matching the highest unmatched card, which is usually considered the highest hand.

There are several key skills you should have when playing poker. These include patience, reading other players and developing strategies. You can develop these skills by studying other top players’ behavior and observing the way they handle their chips and cards.