Poker is a card game that is played for money. Players make bets, which are grouped into pots, before each round begins. A minimum hand for placing a bet is sometimes a pair of jacks. If you don’t have a minimum hand, you can still place a bet.

If you fold, you’re discarding your hand and giving up the chance to win the pot. This is also called dropping or folding. You may not win the pot when you fold, but you can still win some money by playing poker. There are some rules to following when folding, though. You need to know what you’re doing.

There are many different types of poker games, including Texas Hold’em. You can play with as many as five or as few as eight players. In general, the ideal number is six to eight players. The sum of all bets made by all players in a round is called the pot. You can win the pot by having the highest-ranking poker hand, or by making a bet that no other player calls.

In Texas Hold’em, a player may bet if he has a pair, but he may also raise if he has a higher hand. Generally, the highest hand wins the pot, but there are some exceptions. A player can also lose the pot if his opponents foul.