Poker is a card game where players wager chips and compete to form the best hand. Despite its appearance of randomness, the outcome of any given hand largely depends on decisions made by players based on probability, psychology and game theory. Poker has a number of variants, and some have varying rules. For example, some games require that players place an initial amount of money into the pot before being dealt their cards, called forced bets. These bets can replace or supplement the ante, and are usually rotated among the players at the table.

After a round of betting, the players reveal their hands and the player with the highest hand wins the pot. Depending on the game, there may be several rounds of betting, or a final showdown in which all remaining players reveal their hands. In the latter case, a main pot is created and side pots may be established in which players who did not call the last raise can compete.

The game’s popularity is partly due to the fact that it provides a high level of skill and excitement in a social setting. Professional poker players are adept at extracting signal from noise, analyzing opponents and using their knowledge of the game to exploit them. Online poker eliminates in-person knowledge, including body language and eye contact cues, but expert players make up for this by building behavioral dossiers on their opponents and even buying records of other players’ “hand histories.” Unlike some other casino games, it is often regarded as a game of skill rather than chance.