Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (representing money, for which the game is almost always played) on a range of possible hands. The highest hand wins the round and collects the pot of betting money. Players may also choose not to reveal their hands, but this forfeits their chance to win the pot.

Some poker variants require that a player pay a sum of money called an ante, which is placed in the center of the table before they are dealt cards. This is in addition to any bets they might make during a given round.

After the ante has been placed, the first of several betting intervals begins. Each player has the option to call, raise or fold. In some poker variants there is a limit on how much a player can raise during a betting interval, or a limit on the number of times a player can raise in a row.

While many people think of poker as a game of pure luck, there is actually quite a bit of skill and psychology involved. For instance, the ability to read other players and understand their behavior is essential for a good poker player. There are many ways to do this, including body language, facial expressions and gestures. Also, a good poker player knows how to use “tells,” which are unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand. These can be as subtle as a change in posture or as obvious as a particular hand position.