Poker is a card game where players wager money on the cards in their hands. While the outcome of any particular hand is largely dependent on chance, there is also a considerable amount of skill involved in betting strategy (although this does not apply to bluffing, which is strictly a psychology of fear).

To play poker you need to ante something up (the amount varies by game but is usually no more than a dime). When it’s your turn to act you call or raise. The player with the best hand wins the pot. The betting round is usually fast-paced and players can ‘check’ when they don’t want to bet, or even pass on their turn completely by folding.

It’s not just money at stake for the best players, there’s pride too. To admit that your opponent is smarter, stronger or simply better than you can be a huge blow to the fragile ego. Poker is steeped in machismo and many players will go to extreme lengths to avoid this humiliation, especially when the stakes are high.

The rules of poker vary slightly between games, but most involve a standard pack of 52 cards and the highest-ranked hand wins. The cards are ranked from high to low in suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs). Some games allow for wild cards or other special symbols (one-eyed jacks, for example). Betting is usually done in the clockwise direction. If one or more players remain in contention after the final betting round, the cards are revealed and the winner is awarded the pot.