Poker is a card game in which players compete for cash by betting chips. A winning hand wins the pot, which is the sum of the bets placed by all players in the game.
Poker rules vary from game to game, but a basic set of principles apply across all variants. The game is a form of gambling and can be played with two to 14 players, with the ideal number being six or eight.
The game involves three stages: a deal, a betting interval, and a showdown. The first stage, called the deal, involves cards being dealt to each player facedown. The second, called the betting interval, consists of each player making a bet by placing chips into the pot; the third, called the showdown, consists of the cards being revealed.
Each player can call, raise, or fold their bet. If a player calls, they must place into the pot at least as many chips as any previous player. If a player raises, they must put into the pot more than enough chips to call the bet of the next player to their left.
Bluffing is a technique used in poker to deceive opponents into thinking that you have a better hand than you actually do. By bluffing, a player may induce other players to fold weaker hands, thus forcing them to act on their own, or to hold strong hands that they may later improve into superior ones.