Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the strength of their cards. The goal is to win the pot, which consists of all bets placed during a single betting round. In some variants, players can also bluff in order to make opponents call their bets.

To do this, one must study the body language of the other players (e.g., looking for tells). A good strategy also consists of knowing when to raise or call a bet. A player can ‘call’ a previous bet to stay in the hand or ‘raise’ a bet to challenge other players to match or exceed it.

At the start of each betting interval, or ’round’, a player must purchase chips for the pot. Each chip has a different value, with white chips being worth the minimum ante or bet amount, and red chips being worth five or more whites.

After the ante or blind bets are made, the dealer shuffles and deals the cards. Each player then places their bets, either calling the current bet or raising it. If a player decides to ‘fold,’ they drop their cards and are out of the hand.

Once all of the bets are in, the cards are revealed and the winner is declared. The best hand wins the pot, but in some cases, a player’s tenacity and courage triumph over others with better cards. There are countless poker variations, but the majority of them share the same basic principles.