Poker is a card game played with a small group of players around a table. Players place chips into a pot before dealing cards, then make bets on their hands. The player with the best hand wins the pot. This process is repeated until all of the players have folded or have won all of the money in the pot. Poker contains a significant amount of chance, but the game also requires good strategy and quick instincts.

It’s easy to think that poker is a game of pure skill because of the way betting works, but this is a misguided view. Betting is the essence of poker, and it teaches you to recognize how often your intuitions are wrong. This is an essential lesson that improves decision-making in any endeavor, not just poker.

There are several different rules in poker, but the basic principle is that each player places an initial amount of money into the pot before being dealt a hand. These are called forced bets and come in three forms: antes, blinds, and bring-ins.

The players then bet on their hands in each round, with some exceptions. Each player has the option to call, raise, or fold. When a player calls, they must bet an amount equal to or greater than the current bet. If a player raises, they must bet an amount equal to the current bet plus their previous raise. A player can also bet all of their remaining chips, which is called an all-in bet.