Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It has become one of the world’s most popular games and is played in casinos, private homes, card clubs and over the Internet. It is considered the national card game of the United States, where its play and jargon are prevalent in American culture. Poker is a game of strategy and chance, where players bet on the strength of their cards by raising or folding. It is also a game of bluffing, where players try to make other players believe they have the best hand when they do not.

When a player’s turn to act comes, they must either call (match) the previous bet, raise or fold. They must also decide whether to bluff, as telling lies about their cards can backfire and cost them the pot. Players can use any number of physical tells to let other players know what they are thinking, such as eye contact, facial expressions and body language.

There are several types of Poker, but the standard pack consists of 52 cards plus a joker (or wild card), which can take on any suit or rank. The highest hand wins the pot. The ace of spades is usually high, but the value of other cards varies according to their mathematical frequency. There are four suits — hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades – and no suit is higher than another. Some Poker games also include a wild card or two (dueces or one-eyed jacks). The cards are shuffled after each betting interval, and the turn to act passes clockwise from player to player.