Poker is a card game involving betting between two or more players. It has hundreds, probably thousands of variations, but all of them share one key objective: to make the best five-card hand.
The game is usually played with a fixed number of cards and a set of rules for betting, which must be followed by all players. The dealer is typically responsible for shuffling the deck and dealing each player a single card. This person may be a player, or they might not be (for example, if the game is being played online). A dealer chip is passed around the table to indicate who is the dealer for each round.
A player wishing to stay in the pot must match the stake just made by the preceding active player, but may raise it further if they choose. If they are unwilling to do either, then they must fold. This equalization method is the earliest known form of the game and remains the basis for most modern poker rules.
Professional poker players extract value from winning hands and minimise losses on losing ones by using strategic misinformation. They build behavioral dossiers on their opponents and use this information to both exploit them and protect themselves. They also rely on data and other resources to compensate for lack of in-person knowledge about their opponents.
This is a fundamental process that most players neglect. They want instant, tangible results and are often presented with money that they could have reinvested in training and private coaching to improve, but instead choose not to.