Poker is a card game in which players make bets with chips (representing money) and compete for the pot, or prize, by having the highest-ranking poker hand at the end of the betting interval. The rank of a standard poker hand is determined by its odds (probability). A player may also win by bluffing, claiming to have a high-ranking hand when they do not, and forcing other players to call their bets or concede defeat.
A poker game is usually played by two or more players and requires forced bets (an ante and blind) to begin each deal. The dealer shuffles and cuts the cards, then deals each player a number of cards face up or down as specified by the rules of the particular poker variant being played. One or more betting rounds follow, and the players may choose to discard their cards and draw replacements at the end of each round.
When it is a player’s turn to place a bet, they must say “I call” to match the last player’s bet or raise it. Players may also say “I fold” to discard their cards and concede defeat for the remainder of the hand. In most games with a fixed-limit on raises, the amount that a player must place in each betting interval is equal to the maximum amount raised by the player before him. If they do not, they are said to “check.”