Generally, poker is a game of chance, but it also has a lot of skill. To play poker, you will need a group of people around a circular table. You will start by buying chips to play. There are many variations of the game, but they all use the same basic pack of cards.

In most poker games, the cards are ranked aces, kings, queens, and jacks. Some games add jokers.

The highest hand wins the pot. A flush is a five card hand in the same suit. The best natural hand is a straight flush. The straight flush ace can be high or low. Getting a straight flush can be difficult, but it’s usually the best hand.

Ties are broken by a high card. A high card breaks ties when two or more people have the same high card. A pair of kings is not bad off the deal. However, a pair of aces is difficult to beat when you have them.

To speed up the game, some games use two packs of contrasting colors. In a game with seven or more players, you’ll need at least 200 chips.

The first round of betting begins with a small bet called the ante. It’s usually a dollar or $5. Once the ante is paid, the cards are shuffled and the initial dealer is chosen. This dealer moves one spot clockwise after each hand.

The second round of betting begins with two dealers. After that, the betting continues until everyone has folded. At the end of the round, the bets are gathered into the pot. A player can choose to “check” or “raise” the amount of his bet. When the player raises, he may raise the previous bet by the full amount of the pot.