Poker is a game of chance where the players make wagers with cards in a pot. It is a skillful game that requires strategy to minimize losses with poor hands and maximize winnings with good ones. The game also offers a variety of mechanisms by which players can strategically misinform each other about the value of their cards. For example, players may signal weak hands by placing small bets, and players with strong hands can mislead their opponents by making large bets that encourage other players to fold before the “showdown” at which all remaining players reveal their cards and the player with the best hand wins the pot.
Each round of poker begins with an ante, an amount of money placed into the pot by each player. Some variations of the game require additional mandatory bets called blind bets, which replace or are in addition to the ante. A player may call a blind bet and then check; if no one calls, the player may raise the bet and continue betting on his or her hand.
Some poker games also have a dealer, who is responsible for shuffling the deck and dealing each player two cards face down. The dealer’s position is usually rotated among the players after each round. Some poker games also have a special fund for the purchase of new decks of cards or food and drinks. This fund is commonly called a “kitty,” and any chips left in the kitty when a poker game ends are usually divided evenly among the players still playing.