Poker is a card game where players place bets on the strength of their hands. The best five-card hand wins the round and all the money that was put down as a buy-in. There are many different variants of the game, but they all share some essential aspects. In most games, a player can fold, call, or raise a bet. A player can also bluff in order to win by pretending that they have the best hand, which other players must then choose to call (match) or concede.
Some games require players to make a blind bet before they are dealt cards. This bet may replace the ante or happen before each player places an ante. Players can choose to raise or call the latest bet, or they may check, which means that they will not match or raise a previous bet.
After the ante is placed, each player is dealt two cards face-down (hidden from other players). These cards are called that player’s hole or pocket cards. The first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the big blind.
A player may say “call” to indicate that they want to match the last bet in size or amount. A player may also say “all-in” to show that they are all-in for their current bet. Players can only raise or call a bet once per turn, and they can not make an all-in bet if another player has already raised their own bet in the same betting round.