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What happens when a poker player raises a bet?

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Five playing cards showing a flush in clubs: king, ten, eight, seven, and five of clubs. — poker A poker hand containing five cards of the same suit but not in sequence is called a flush.

In poker, a player who chooses to raise is betting more than the amount previously wagered by another player during a betting interval. By raising, the player forces subsequent participants to match this new, higher total contribution to the pot if they wish to remain in the hand. If a player declines to meet this increased amount, they must fold, meaning they discard their hand and forfeit any further competition for the pot.1

A betting interval concludes once the turn returns to the player who made the last raise or when all players have checked. If a player raises after another player has already raised, this action is known as a reraise. In specific formats like pot-limit poker, the amount a player can raise is restricted by the current size of the pot.12