Poker is a card game in which players place bets by placing chips (representing money) into the pot. The object is to win the pot by having the highest poker hand, or by making a bet that no other player calls. The number of players can vary, but in most forms the game is played with six or seven players. Depending on the rules of a particular poker variant, one or more players must put an initial amount into the pot before the cards are dealt. These forced bets are known as antes, blinds or bring-ins.

Poker involves bluffing and a high level of risk-taking, which can help to develop a variety of skills that are useful in the real world, including decision-making and the ability to read other people’s body language. It also provides an excellent opportunity to practice being resilient in the face of setbacks. No one goes through life racking up victory after victory, and even the best poker players will experience some losses from time to time. Learning to view these setbacks as bruises rather than tattoos can help players to recover from them and come out stronger on the other side.

During each betting interval, a player must place enough chips in the pot to at least match the total contribution made by the players before him. Once all the bets are in, the remaining players reveal their hands and the player with the best hand wins the pot.