Poker is a card game of chance played between two or more players. Players place bets, or chips, into a pot that opponents have to match or raise in order to stay in the hand. The player with the best hand wins the pot. Depending on the rules of a particular game, there may be an ante and a blind before betting begins.

Throughout the course of a hand, players can check (pass on betting), bet (put more chips into the pot that their opponents have to call) or fold (abandon their hand). In some cases, a player can also say “raise” (put more money in a higher increment than the previous bet) to encourage other players to raise their bets.

A good poker player is able to read other players’ intentions and body language. For example, a player’s breathing patterns, facial expressions and hand movements can indicate whether they are bluffing or have an unbeatable hand. A player’s meek or quiet behavior can also indicate a strong hand, encouraging other players to call.

Depending on the game, some players may be assigned dealer responsibilities for a round or an entire tournament. This person is responsible for shuffling the cards and dealing them to the players. Some games even have a designated dealer chip that is passed to a different player after each round of betting.