Poker is a card game involving betting and the acquisition of a winning hand. It is generally played with a standard 52-card deck, but some forms use additional cards or different rules. Unlike most games of chance, in which luck plays an important role, skill has a significant effect on the outcome of a hand. Players may also bluff, betting that they have a strong hand when they do not. This is known as “raising,” and it forces opponents to call the bet or concede the hand.

In most forms, the object of the game is to win the pot, or the sum of all bets made in a single deal. This pot is usually won by a player with the highest ranking poker hand, or by making a bet that no one else calls. A player can also choose to remain in the pot with a weak hand, but this is known as folding and can only result in losing the amount of money they staked.

Each betting interval is initiated by one player, designated by the rules of the particular variant being played, placing a number of chips into the pot equal to or greater than any bet placed by the player to his left. A player may “call” this bet by putting the same number of chips into the pot; or raise it, adding more than that number to the total. A player who does not want to put any chips into the pot, or who cannot match a raised bet, must drop out of the betting and discard his hand.