Poker is a card game, played in many variations, that is popular in casinos and private homes. Its play and jargon permeate American culture. The game is played by millions of people, and there are several television shows devoted to it. A tournament is a competition that has many matches with a small group of competitors (such as most team sports, racket sports, combat sports, some board games and card games, and competitive debating). A player or team wins the tournament by having the best record over a set number of rounds.

A player may open betting by placing a forced bet, called an ante or blind bet. This begins a round of betting in which all players must call or raise the amount placed by the last player to remain active. A player who does not raise and instead calls a bet is said to “drop” or fold.

The first round of betting is followed by a second, which is usually higher. There are also various side pots that can be won by players who don’t make a winning hand in the main pot.

A winning hand consists of 5 cards of consecutive rank (or in sequence but from different suits), or 4 of a kind. A full house contains 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank, or two pairs. A flush consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A pair is two matching cards of any rank.