A card game of strategy that involves betting between players and sharing a common pot. It also includes a bluffing element, where players may bet that their hand is better than it is in the hope that opponents will call and reveal their cards in a showdown, thus allowing them to win without actually having the best hand.

The rules of poker vary from one game to another, but the general objective is to minimize losses with poor hands and maximize winnings with good ones. To do so, players must understand the odds and be able to read their opponents.

Before the cards are dealt, most forms of poker require that each player put an initial contribution into the pot, called the ante or blind. Depending on the game, this contribution may be limited in amount, with white chips worth a fixed value and red chips worth two or five times that value.

Each poker deal has one or more betting intervals in which each player has the opportunity to place chips into the pot, matching or raising any bet made by their predecessors. When the final betting interval ends, any player who has not folded must reveal their hand and take the pot.

During the betting intervals, watch for tells. If a player glances at their chips frequently, it’s likely they have a strong hand; if they hold their breath or make sighing sounds, their nerves are probably showing; and if they blink rapidly, it could mean they’re hiding information from you.