Poker is a card game of chance and skill, where players make bets on the chances that their cards will form a winning hand. It is played with a standard 52-card English deck and can be played as an individual or with a team. It is considered a card game of skill because it involves learning to recognise the relative value of different hands and exploiting this knowledge by betting appropriately.

The game became popular in the early 21st century, largely because of online casinos and TV coverage of major poker tournaments. The invention of the hole-card camera made it possible to follow the action and drama at a table, further boosting interest in the game.

Like most card games, Poker offers a number of mechanisms by which players can strategically misinform each other about the quality of their hands. This is particularly true in a poker game, where bluffing is common and bet sizes can be very large. Small bets may be used to entice players with weak hands into calling, while high bets may be used to intimidate players with strong hands into folding before the showdown.

The most important factor in a poker game is the people at the table and how they react to each other’s actions. A good poker player can tell you a story about the tense build up in a hand, how their opponent’s face fell after their bet was called or how they were able to maintain their cool under pressure.