Poker is a card game in which players place bets on their own or others’ hands to win cash, chips, or other units. It involves a combination of psychology, probability, and game theory. In most games, the player with the highest-ranked hand wins. The goal of a hand is to build a high-ranking hand of five cards from the two cards you hold and the five community cards on the table. The winner of the hand receives a sum called the pot.

The game is played with a deck of 52 cards and each player has a number of chips, usually white or light-colored, that represent money. A single chip may represent a minimum bet of one unit, or it might be worth much more than that. After the first player puts down a bet, each active player has the option to “call” or raise it. “Raising” means increasing the amount you bet by at least the value of the last person’s raised stake.

The first player to the left of the dealer has the right to open the betting. If he does not, his turn passes to the next player. During the betting round, players reveal their cards to the other players and the player with the best hand wins the pot. The game is fast-paced, and the stakes can be high. Typically, after a few raises the stakes become so large that it is no longer feasible to continue raising them.