Poker is a card game where players make bets on the outcome of a hand, using chips (representing money). A player may call, check, or fold. Some games allow an “all-in” where a player puts all of their remaining chips into the pot. This is an expensive bet, and there are rules for how it works depending on the game.

A player’s strategy in poker is largely determined by their ability to read opponents and their own risk-reward ratio. Taking more risks can lead to bigger rewards, but pursuing safety usually means missing opportunities where a moderate amount of risk could yield a large reward.

In the game of Poker, each player is dealt two cards, and then aims to make the best five-card hand by combining these with the community cards. If a player can’t match the total stakes of the last raiser, they must equalize by raising their bet again or folding. If they do neither, then they must concede the showdown to the player who did raise their bet.

The earliest known vying games date from the 18th century, with the game of Poker being based on the earlier stud game of Belle, Flux & Trente-un (French, 17th – 19th centuries), Post & Pair (English and American, early 17th – mid 18th centuries) and Brag (18th century to present). Articles about poker frequently mention a wide variety of other older vying games that are not relevant to the genesis of Poker.