Poker is a card game of skill where players must make decisions without access to the full information available in the game (the hidden cards and bets of their opponents). In this respect it differs from games such as chess, where the full board is visible. Interest in the strategic behavior of expert poker players dates back to the roots of cognitive science and artificial intelligence, and many studies have examined this area since the 1950s.

In poker, there are a variety of strategies that can be used to maximise the value of a winning hand and minimise losses from a losing one. This concept is called “MinMax” and is the basis for the whole game of poker.

It is also possible to win a hand with two of the same cards by hitting the flop, turn, or river. This is known as hitting the backdoor, and it is possible to do this even when an opponent has a better hand than you do.

When betting starts, each player must place a small bet into the pot (the middle of the table) before being dealt cards. This is called an ante, and it helps to create a pot of money that can be won during a hand.

Once a player has his cards, there is another round of betting in which each player can raise his bet or fold his hand. The highest hand wins the pot. A hand must consist of at least five cards to win. There are no ties in standard poker, and the ranks of the hands are determined by their odds (probability). In some games there are wild cards that can take the rank of any other card.