Poker is a card game in which players wager chips on the outcome of a hand. Each player has two cards, and the object is to make a five-card “hand” using those two and the five community cards. The player who makes the best hand wins the pot. There are several betting phases during the deal, and players can call, check, raise or fold during each round of betting.
In some variations of the game, a player can make an all-in bet at the end of a betting phase by putting all their remaining chips into the pot. These bets are treated differently depending on the variant of poker and the rules of a particular table.
Most forms of poker require a dealer, who is responsible for shuffling the cards and dealing them to each player. The dealer is usually designated by a dealer chip, which is passed on to the next player after each round of betting. Some poker games also have blind bets, which are made before the players are dealt their cards.
Poker is played in a large number of different ways, with the rules being determined by a combination of game theory, probability, psychology and other social sciences. The game can be played with any number of players, but the ideal number is six or seven. A large number of rules and strategies have evolved to maximize the chance of winning a hand. Poker players also use a variety of psychological tactics, such as bluffing, to compete with other players.