Poker is a card game with simple rules and complex strategy, played by two or more players. Each player places forced bets (usually ante and/or blind) before being dealt cards, and then places additional chips in the pot during one or more betting rounds. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. Several variations of the game exist, with different rules and scoring.
The game can be played with as few as two and as many as 14 players. However, it is most enjoyable with six to eight players. Each player buys in with a fixed number of chips—the value of the chip is determined by the particular game and usually means that a white chip is worth one unit of money, a red chip is worth 10 units of money, and a blue chip is worth 25 whites.
Once the players receive their two hole cards, there is a round of betting, which begins with the player to the left of the dealer. Then, depending on the variant of poker being played, another three to five cards are dealt face up, which may change the strength of a player’s hand.
Players may use various mechanisms to misinform other players about the strength of their hands, including betting in ways that suggest a weak hand or trying to intimidate other players into folding before the “showdown” (when all players reveal their cards and the player with the best hand collects the pot). Although the outcome of any single hand involves chance, successful poker players often win through a combination of skill, psychology, and probability.