Poker is a card game in which players place bets against one another in an attempt to win a pot of money. Each round of betting ends when all players either call the total amount placed in that round or fold. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot, which contains all bets made in previous rounds. The game may also be played with a limited number of players, in which case the pot is split among all remaining players.
There are many variations of the game, but most use a standard deck of 52 cards that have been cut into units. A white chip is worth the minimum ante, or bet; red chips are worth five whites; and blue chips are worth ten whites. Almost all games have some form of dealer, who is responsible for shuffling the deck and dealing each player two cards. In some cases, the dealer is not a player but a non-player assigned to the dealer role for the duration of the game.
Poker has become a spectator sport, with professional tournaments attracting huge crowds. The game has also inspired researchers in fields such as computer science, decision making, and game theory. While luck plays a significant role in the outcome of individual hands, over time the application of skill will eliminate most of the variance of luck. Moreover, the game offers numerous mechanisms by which players can strategically misinform other players about their poker hands.