Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It is usually played with a standard 52-card English deck and can be played with one or more jokers/wild cards. It can be played by as few as two people but is best when played by five or six. The objective is to have the highest ranking hand at showdown.

During a hand, the player may check (pass on betting), raise or fold. A player with a superior hand may also bluff, by betting that they have the best hand and expecting other players to call their bet. In this way, a player can win money from opponents without having a superior hand themselves.

There are a number of different poker variants, but in all of them there is a pot, into which players place chips (representing money) before they receive their cards. The first player to act places a forced bet called a blind or an ante. Players then receive a number of cards, which they keep hidden from their opponents.

Poker strategy is largely about thinking beyond your own cards and attempting to figure out what other players might have in their hands. This is known as “reading” your opponent’s range. Advanced players are able to look at their opponent’s range and make decisions based on what they believe their opponent is likely to do in various situations. They use a combination of probability, psychology and game theory to inform their decisions.