Poker is a card game in which players make bets with chips (representing money) that they place in a pot. The object is to win the pot by having the highest-ranking poker hand when the final betting round has ended or, in some cases, by making a bet that other players call. Poker is a game of chance, but it also involves considerable skill and psychology.

Poker can be played with 2 to 14 players. The number of cards dealt and the betting procedures vary from one variant to another, but a common approach is to deal five cards each to every player.

Some poker variants require that players make a blind bet before being dealt their cards. This is a contribution to the pot that may replace or be in addition to the ante. Players can check or raise, or both, on their turn in each round of betting. Players can also bluff, with the aim of convincing other players that they have a superior hand. If they succeed, the other players will either call their bet or fold and lose the pot.

In most forms of poker, the player whose hand is declared to be the best wins the pot. If more than one player remains after the last betting round, a showdown takes place where the players reveal their hands and the winner is determined. The winning player collects all of the chips in the pot.