Poker is a game played by placing bets on the outcome of a hand. It is a card game whose origins are a bit murky. Most versions of the game are based on a 52-card deck. The rules of poker vary according to the variant.

Most games of the game involve a blind bet. These are placed before the cards are dealt. If a player declines to place a bet, he is said to fold.

The ace is considered the high card in the poker hierarchy. However, the ace may be treated as the lowest card in some games.

In the poker world, a flush is a hand consisting of all cards of the same suit. A straight is a hand of three consecutive cards in a single suit.

The best possible hand is two distinct pairs of cards plus a fifth card. Known as the backdoor flush, this is achieved by hitting needed cards on the turn and river.

A high card can break a tie if a number of people are tied for the best hand. For example, if a player has a pair of kings and the dealer has a pair of aces, the high card breaks the tie.

While the standard pack of cards is used in most games, some players prefer to use a multi-deck system. Some variants add jokers, which are wild cards that can replace any other card in the deck.

Using a chip-based system, it is much easier to keep track of the cards and money in the pot. As opposed to cash, chips are easily exchanged.