Poker is a card game in which each player bets chips into a central pot. The aim is to form a poker hand based on card rankings, and win the pot (all bets made so far) by having the best hand at the end of each betting round.
Players are required to place an ante or blind bet before the cards are dealt. Once everyone has acted, the dealer shuffles, and deals cards to each player one at a time, starting with the person on the right of the table. The cards may be dealt face up or down, depending on the variant of poker being played. After the first round of betting, each player must either call a bet by putting chips into the pot, raise it by putting more chips into the pot than the previous player did, or drop their hand and leave the game.
The rank of poker hands is determined by their odds (probability). Ties are broken by the highest unmatched cards or secondary pairs in a full house. A player may also bluff by showing a boastful demeanor in order to force their opponent to concede. A player can also bet all of their remaining chips in a given situation, known as going all-in. Despite its seemingly random nature, poker is actually a highly strategic game involving mathematics, psychology, and game theory. Players must carefully weigh the risks and rewards of different strategies in each situation.