Poker is a card game played between two or more players and the objective is to win a pot (representing money). The game can be played with 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, or 9 cards. During betting rounds, each player may choose to fold, call, or raise. The player whose bet is called or raised puts chips into the pot, and the player with the best hand wins the pot.

Before dealing a hand, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals them to the players one at a time, beginning with the player to their left. The cards can be dealt face-up or face-down, depending on the particular variant being played. Each player must then place a bet into the pot, or a portion of the pot, as determined by the rules of that variant.

Betting on each round of betting is done voluntarily by a player who either believes that his bet has positive expected value or is trying to bluff other players for strategic reasons. Unlike most other casino games, poker is a game of chance, but the long-run expectations of the players are determined by their actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology and game theory.

Knowing when to check, bet, call, or raise is both an art and a science. The science is being disciplined to stick with the rules of good play and the art is knowing when to break those rules to maximise your profit.