Poker is a card game played by two or more players with chips (representing money) and aims to win a pot, which is the sum of all bets placed during a single deal. The game involves bluffing and psychology as well as probability, math, and game theory.

Each player receives two cards and tries to make the best five card hand using their own cards and the community cards. The best hand wins the pot. Each player can choose to raise, call, or check, depending on the rules of the specific poker variant being played. A player can also fold, surrendering the hand and losing any bets they have made.

Before the cards are dealt, players must place an initial contribution to the pot, known as the ante. This amount is usually equal to the total contribution of the player before him, but can vary.

Once the cards are dealt, players can raise, call, or check, depending on how good their hand is and whether they think their opponent is bluffing. If they have a good hand, they can raise the bets of others, hoping to force them out of the pot.

If more than one player remains in the pot after the final betting round, the hands are revealed and the winner takes the pot. There are a number of different ways to play poker, including stud poker, draw poker, and five-card draw. Each poker variation has its own rules for revealing the hands, but all share the same underlying skill of minimizing losses with poor hands and maximizing winnings with strong hands.