Poker is a type of gambling game where players bet to win a pot. In each round, players bet against each other using five cards. A winning hand is determined by the highest card, which gives the value of the hand.

The rules of poker vary by game type, as do the number of cards in play. Most games are played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Some games use multiple packs, while others have special wild cards.

Players begin by deciding how to play. They can either discard all of their cards and form a new hand, or they can bet to keep their current hand. When the betting phase is over, players reveal their hands, and the best five-card hand wins the pot.

In some games, the highest card is used to break ties. For example, a pair of kings can win when two other players have four of a kind, but a high card outside a pair breaks the tie. Similarly, a straight isn’t considered a lowball hand.

When a player has a four of a kind, but another player has a pair of kings, they tie. However, a higher card outside the pair wins if both players have the same rank.

Generally, poker players are unable to force other players to play more than they want. If they do, the player with the best hand loses the pot. As a result, they can’t win money from any of the other bets they make.