A card game that involves betting among a group of players. Its purpose is to form the best possible 5-card hand based on the rankings of cards and to win the pot, which consists of all bets placed during each round of the game. A player may also win the pot by placing a bet that no other players call, thus forcing them to fold.

Typically, poker is played in a casino with a dealer who shuffles the deck and deals each player 2 cards face down (hidden from the other players). Each player then makes a forced bet, which is called an ante or blind bet. Once the forced bets are made, the first of several betting rounds begins.

After the first betting phase, 3 more cards are dealt to the table (revealed to all players) and a new betting phase begins. These cards are called the flop and can be used by each player to build their final hand.

Besides the obvious luck factor involved in every poker hand, the game requires a great deal of skill in making small decisions. Each decision must be analyzed to determine whether it has a positive expectation and will win money over the long term. It is important to remember that short-term luck can see a winning decision lose money and a losing one make money, but it is the overall result over hundreds of iterations that counts.