Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (representing money) on the outcome of a hand. The cards are dealt in a round of betting, and each player has the option to raise or call bets made by the other players. In the end, the player with the best hand takes all of the accumulated bets. Poker may also involve bluffing, in which case a player attempts to deceive the other players into believing that their hand is better than it actually is.
There are many different variants of poker, each with its own rules and scoring systems. Generally, a player must place an initial bet of at least the small blind or the big blind before being dealt any cards. This bet is called the ante. A player can then fold if they have a weak hand or wish to avoid raising bets on their own.
After the ante is placed, a dealer shuffles the cards and deals each player two cards face down. A player to the left of the button has the right to cut the pack, and if he does not choose to do so, a later player has that right.
During the course of the betting, players can call or raise bets and check to stay in the pot. When a player checks, they forfeit their rights to any side pots unless they are called by another player. Players can also drop out of a hand at any time.