Poker is a card game played by two or more players and can be either a cash or tournament game. It is considered the national card game of the United States, where it is played in homes, clubs, casinos, and on the Internet. While the game largely involves chance, its play and jargon have become ingrained in American culture.

In a hand of Poker, each player must first “ante” something (amount varies by game and can be a minimum of a nickel). When it is your turn to bet, you may either call a bet if the person to your left has just raised their own, raise their own bet, or fold. A player who calls a bet places the amount called into the pot. A player who raises a bet increases the total amount of money put into the pot, but they must call any subsequent bets to continue their raise.

During a hand, if no player calls any bets or raises their own, the highest ranked poker hand wins the pot. This can be a very strong hand, or it could just be someone who continued to bet that their hand was the best until all other players folded. The winning player will collect all the chips that have been placed into the pot during the hand.