Poker is a card game in which players wager money against each other. The object of the game is to win the pot, or the aggregate sum of all bets made during a single deal. The pot is won either by having a high-ranking poker hand, or by making a bet that no other player calls. Players may also bluff in order to win.
The game is usually played with a minimum of 6 players, although it can be played with as few as 2 people. There are many different variants of the game, but most involve placing a mandatory bet into a pot called a blind before each player receives his or her cards. Some variations of the game require a dealer to shuffle and deal the cards, while others use a single dealer chip that passes to a new player each round.
Once the first round of betting has concluded, a fourth card is dealt face up, which is known as the flop. A new round of betting begins, with the player to the left of the dealer starting the action.
A player may choose to remain in the pot and call the last raise, or he or she may decide to fold. In the latter case, he or she forfeits any rights in the original pot and surrenders them to the player whose bet he or she did not call. A player who raises a bet must match the amount raised by the preceding active player, and is also allowed to increase the stake further if desired.