Poker is a card game in which players bet according to the strength of their hands. The best hand wins the pot. The game can be played with one complete hand or in a series of betting intervals, where raising and re-raising is permitted. The game is traditionally played with chips: each white chip is worth a certain amount, and each red and blue chip are worth twice as much.
Before each hand, the dealer shuffles and deals cards to each player. Each player may then choose to make a forced bet, called an ante or blind bet, or not to place any bet at all. Then, each player takes turns revealing their hand and placing additional bets into the pot. These bets are made based on the individual’s perceived chances of making a superior hand and the game theory of bluffing.
The player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot, unless it is a tie (in which case the best two hands share the pot). Some variants of the game use more than five cards. The most common use a standard 53-card pack including the joker, which counts as a wild card in some hand types.
A good poker player must be able to balance bluffing with folding. A strong bluff can win the pot, but a weak hand that is folded will lose it to stronger hands. A good poker player will also be able to calculate probability, using knowledge of basic statistics and card counting.