Poker is a card game where players make the best 5-card hand using a combination of their two cards (called hole cards) and five community cards. The game is played in three stages: the flop, the turn, and the river. The player with the best 5 card hand wins all of the money in the pot.
Poker involves incomplete information, and decisions must be made before all of the facts are known. This concept is a fundamental element of game theory, first explored in 1944 by mathematician John von Neumann and economist Oskar Morgenstern in their classic book Theory of Games and Economic Behavior.
The game begins with each player placing an amount of money into the pot, called the ante or blinds. A person then deals each player two cards face down. Once the players have their cards they can decide whether to check, call, or raise a bet. If a player calls a bet, they must match the amount raised to stay in the round. Depending on the situation, a player may also fold. A good hand in poker consists of three or more matching cards of the same suit, such as a full house or four of a kind. The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush, which includes a 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit. This can only be beaten by another royal flush or a straight flush. Other good hands include a flush, a straight, and a three-of-a-kind.