Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involves betting. It is a skill-based game that has gained popularity amongst professional and casual players alike. It has also inspired research in areas such as game theory, decision making, and computer science. The underlying skill behind Poker is minimising losses with poor hands and maximising winnings with good hands. This strategy is called MinMax.

Depending on the rules of the Poker variant being played, players may be required to put an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. These forced bets are known as antes, blinds, or bring-ins. Players can then choose to check (pass), call, or raise the bet on their turn.

Once all players have their 2 hidden cards, a round of betting starts. There are then 3 additional cards (known as the flop) dealt face up at the center of the table. These are the community cards that everyone can use to make their best 5-card hand. There is then another round of betting and the player with the highest 5-card hand wins the pot.

Players can strategically misinform each other about the strength of their hands by raising bets on their turns to keep the pot growing, or they can try and bluff opponents into folding before the showdown. Eventually, there will be only one player left with a strong hand who will win the pot of money.