Poker is a card game with a great deal of skill involved. It is a game where the twin elements of chance and skill are equally important for success. Over time, the application of skill can almost eliminate the variance of chance. However, luck remains a significant factor in winning any particular hand.

The object of poker is to win a pot (the sum of the bets placed by all players on any given round) by getting the best possible five-card hand according to the rules of the specific game being played. Normally, only one poker hand wins each betting round. If only one player remains in contention after the final betting round, a showdown takes place where all hands are revealed and the winner is declared.

A poker game is normally played with a standard 52-card deck, which may include jokers (cards of no rank) in some games. The cards are ranked (from high to low) Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

The game begins with the person to the immediate left of the dealer button (a disc that indicates who has the first opportunity to act) posting (putting up) a small blind and/or a big blind. These are forced bets that give other players something to chase, so that they don’t fold every time they get a bad deal. You have a pair of kings, which isn’t a great hand off the deal but not the worst either.