Poker is a family of card games that is played worldwide. It originated in the U.K., but the game spread to other countries in the 19th century, primarily through the U.S. military.

The game is played with a group of people around a circular table. Chips, which are usually red or black, are used to play. Before the game starts, the dealer assigns values to the chips.

A poker hand is made up of five cards. There are two types of hands: value and bluff. In value hands, a player may hold a pair of aces, or a straight flush, or a pair of jacks.

Players can bluff by making a bet that they have the best hand. If they do, they win the pot if no one else calls.

Most poker games involve one or more rounds of betting. During a round, each player places a bet toward the pot. After the round ends, players collect the bets into a pot. This is a collection of all the bets made by all the players during the deal.

Poker can be played with any number of players, although the ideal number is six to eight. There are hundreds of variations of the game. Each variant has different rules and may differ from location to location.

Poker can be played online. Poker tournaments have attracted large television audiences. Some casinos offer a bad beat jackpot, or bonus for players with extremely strong hands.