Poker is a card game in which players wager money on the outcome of a hand. It is played in tournaments and cash games worldwide. It is one of the most popular gambling activities, and its popularity has grown with the advent of online poker.

Each player puts an amount of money into the pot before being dealt 2 cards face down. This is called the ante. There is then a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can raise, call or fold.

The goal is to have the strongest hand at showdown. The best way to do this is by bluffing. However, even the most confident players need some luck to win a poker game. Just like in life, you have to weigh your chances of winning against the cost of bluffing.

In the past, many professional players had a good intuition for when to bet and when to fold. The rise of GTO (game theory optimal) strategies has transformed poker into a game that requires detached quantitative analysis. Today, most professional players spend thousands of hours honing their approach to the game.

To make a story about Poker feel tense and exciting, it’s important to depict real-life high stakes poker games as accurately as possible. A key is to emphasize the growing odds over the course of a few rounds. It is also essential to highlight the tells that players use to signal their strength and weakness.