Poker is a card game played with chips that represent money. Players put these chips down before beginning the game, and are allowed to raise and lower their bets during play, as long as they do not exceed the amount of money they have staked on the outcome of a hand.
Players are dealt a set number of cards, and then make bets according to their own preferences and the probabilities of their hand winning. The best hand wins the pot, and in some cases, several hands tie for the top spot. In these cases, the players who hold the top hands split the pot.
There are a number of different variants of the game, each with slightly varying rules and strategy. Some variants require players to place a mandatory bet, called a blind, into the pot before they are dealt their cards. This is usually done by two players to the left of the dealer, and it helps to create an incentive for players to play well.
Some games also allow players to check, which means that they will not call a bet or raise it themselves, provided that no one before them has raised a bet. In this way, a player who checks can stay in the game without risking any of their own money until a showdown is reached. However, if the player cannot meet a previous raise, they must drop out of the round and wait until the next deal.
