Poker is a game of chance, but the odds are in your favor if you know how to exploit the randomness. Typically, only about 12 percent of the hands end in a winner. This makes poker a game of skill. As a result, you should understand the ranges and the right places to bluff.

Each betting interval begins with a player placing a bet in the pot. Each subsequent player must either call the previous player’s bet, raise his bet, or drop his bet. If a player has folded, he loses any remaining chips in the pot. After that, he must put in the same amount of chips as the previous players.

Poker can have any number of players, although six to eight is ideal. There are usually 200 chips in the pot in games with more than seven players. The lowest chip is white, while the highest is a red chip. Red, blue, and dark-colored chips have higher values and are worth more. Players buy chips by placing a blind bet or ante before being dealt any cards.

Poker is an increasingly popular spectator sport. The advent of online poker has boosted its popularity. The invention of a hole-card camera has also increased interest in the sport. Many cable and satellite TV companies have broadcast poker tournaments, bringing in huge audiences. Poker can be played in hundreds of variations. The following overview of the game is applicable to most of these variations.