Poker is a card game played with chips that represent money. It is a game that requires skill and strategy, but also a certain amount of luck. A player can win by having the best hand, or getting the highest percentage of the pot. In some situations, a player can also win the pot without having the best hand by bluffing.

Depending on the game rules, one or more players are required to put an initial amount of money into the pot before cards are dealt. These are called forced bets and they come in the form of ante and blind bets.

After the antes and blinds have been placed, the first betting round begins. This is followed by a period where players may discard and draw new cards from the top of the drawing stack, or simply keep the cards they have. After the end of the betting phase, the cards are shown and the player with the best 5-card hand wins the pot, which is all the money that has been bet during the current round.

The game is played with a standard deck of 52 cards and the bets are made with chips. In some cases, the bets are placed directly in the pot (a practice known as splashing), while in other cases players place their bets next to the pot or behind it and then collect them after each betting round is over. This is done to help keep track of the total bet amount during a round.