Poker is a game of skill. Players can check the pot or raise when another player raises, but they must call the raise in order to keep their chips. Each player has their own set of chips, which can be red, white, blue, green, or black. Before the game starts, the dealer will assign values to these chips. Players can either buy chips or exchange their cash for chips.

The goal of the game is to make the best hand possible. The winning hand is the one with the highest ranking pair of cards. If the hand is a tie, the high card is used to break the tie. If no player has a pair, the next highest card is used. If no player has a pair, the odd chip goes to the player with the highest card by suit.

Poker has many variations, but most versions use a standard 52-card deck. There are four suits: spades, hearts, clubs, and diamonds. The game is played with five or more players, and the players place bets on the table. A hand can have as many as five different cards, and the winner will be determined by who holds the highest card in the hand.

When playing poker, there are rules in place to protect the dealer. In the event that a card is exposed by another player before the round of betting, it will be returned to the deck. If a card is exposed more than once, it is considered a misdeal. In addition, players may not take more than four consecutive cards if the dealer is making a mistake.