Poker is a card game that involves betting and bluffing. It is played between 2 to 14 players and the aim is to win a pot, the total amount of bets placed in one deal. There are many different variations of the game but in most forms of poker, each player has two hidden cards and only their own bets to consider when deciding how much to raise or call. The player with the highest-ranking poker hand wins the pot.

There are some theories that the game has its roots in Asia, particularly with 10th-century Chinese domino games or the 16th-century Persian game As Nas. However, the most likely ancestor is the 17th-century French game Poque, with which it shares a name and many of its core concepts. Poker is believed to have reached the United States in the early 19th century, influenced by Mississippi riverboats and spreading through American military servicemen during the Civil War.

Once each player has two hidden cards, the first of several betting rounds begins. There are a number of ways to participate in the betting, including ‘checking’ (calling without raising) and ‘raising’. The latter requires the player to match or raise the amount raised by the previous active player in order to stay in the round.

A high-ranking poker hand is made up of five consecutive cards of the same rank, with the highest card winning (e.g., an Ace-high straight beats five kings). Lesser hands include three of a kind and two pairs.