Poker is a card game played with chips that represent money. It can be a cash game or a tournament game and there are dozens of different types of poker games. The object of the game is to win the pot, which is the sum total of all bets placed by players during a deal.

A player may open the betting by saying “I call,” meaning that he or she will place an amount of money equal to or higher than the last person’s bet. A player can also raise a bet by saying “I raise.” When it is your turn to bet, you must either call the current bet or raise it. If you raise, other players must choose to either call your bet or fold.

There are a few basic rules that all poker games must follow. Each player must place a mandatory bet of some amount (this varies by game) before being dealt cards. This bet is called a blind or an ante. Once everyone has placed their bets, the cards are dealt and there is a round of betting. The highest hand wins the pot.

Some poker hands are more valuable than others, and this is determined by their mathematical frequency (i.e., how often they appear in a deck of 52). Players can also use the game to make bluffs, placing bets that they have a superior hand while hoping that players with inferior hands will call their bet.