Poker is a card game that involves players competing for an amount of money or chips contributed by the players themselves (called the pot). The player with the best hand wins the pot. Players can make a variety of hands, but the most common are pairs and straights. Some hands are more powerful than others, and bluffing is an important part of the game.

The game has many mechanisms by which players can misinform each other about the strength of their cards and their betting strategies. Players can use bluffing to intimidate opponents into folding before the showdown. Players may also use their betting to influence the other players in the table and to control how much money they contribute to the pot.

Before the cards are dealt, each player must put an initial contribution into the pot, called an ante, of one or more chips. Once the betting begins, each player can call a bet by putting into the pot at least as many chips as the player to their left; raise the bet; or drop out of the pot.

In order to be successful at poker, it is necessary to balance the pot odds and potential return on your investment when deciding whether to play a hand. For example, a suited connector like K10 is not as strong as a pair of Jacks or Queens, but it may still be worth playing if the pot is small and your opponent is weak. If the pot is large and your opponent is tight, however, you are better off just calling or raising.