A game of poker involves betting and estimating the chances of winning. Typically, there are five or more players in a game, and each player must make a bet. A player can only place a bet if he or she is positive about the odds of winning. Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards, although some variants use multiple packs and add jokers. The cards are ranked from Ace to King, Queen, Jack, and 10, and can be either high or low. Each card has a suit, but no suit is higher than another. In a typical poker game, a hand will contain five cards, with the exception of the Wild Card, which can take any suit.

Before a round can begin, a player must make an ante, or buy-in bet, if playing for real money. The ante is usually a small bet of $1 or $5. This bet sets the starting position for the game. After the ante is made, the dealer will deal two cards to each player. Players will then decide whether to bet on their hand, fold, check, or raise.

To play Poker, you will need tokens (also called chips) to place your bets. These chips are generally round and vary in quality. Some have a dealer chip, which will indicate who is the current dealer. You can also play for stakes, although stakes do not necessarily have to be real money. In fact, seasoned gamblers will sneer at players who put their stakes lower than theirs.