The game of poker is a card game that requires both luck and skill to win. However, over time the application of skill will virtually eliminate the variance of luck. There are many different poker games and variants but the basic rules are similar across most of them. These include:
One or more players must make an initial forced bet, usually the ante and blind bets (or a combination of them). The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals each player a hand of five cards. These can be either face up or face down depending on the specific game and variant of poker being played. There are generally multiple betting rounds with players able to raise their bets over the course of the hand.
After the first betting round is complete the dealer will put three more community cards on the table that anyone can use (this is known as the flop). There will be another round of betting and then after this the fifth and final card will be dealt face up (the river). This is known as the showdown.
The highest ranked hands are the royal flush (five consecutive cards of the same suit) followed by four of a kind and then a straight flush. Full houses consist of 3 matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of a different rank. Pairs consist of 2 cards of the same rank and then three unmatched cards.
