Poker is a card game in which players bet chips (representing money) into a pot. Each player has the option to call, raise, or fold. When a player calls or raises, they must place chips into the pot equal to the amount placed in it by the player before them.

There are many different variants of poker, but most of them use a standard 52-card English deck and a fixed limit betting system. The game was spread around the world and became popular in America during the 1920s. It has since become the most-favoured gambling game of men in the United States and the third most-favoured card game in Great Britain among both sexes.

To play poker, you need a table, cards, and a dealer. The dealer is a person who manages the shuffle and deals the cards to the players. The dealer can be a player, or a non-player may take the role for the entire game. Some games also have rules for the way that dealer duties are passed from one player to the next after each hand.

A common strategy is to bluff when you have a weak hand, hoping to induce opponents to fold better hands. Another strategy is to make a bet that indicates you have a strong hand, even if it is not, in order to force opponents into calling your bets. You can also put all of your remaining chips into the pot in a certain situation, called an all-in bet.