Poker is a card game in which players place chips into the pot based on their hand. The player with the best poker hand wins the pot. The cards are then reshuffled and the process begins again.

The history of poker includes a wide variety of earlier vying games, including Primero (16th century, Spanish), Flux and Post (French, 17th – 18th centuries) and Brag (18th – 19th centuries). It was not until the American Civil War that the game began to spread around the world. At this time the full 52-card English deck was introduced to the game, and stud poker became a popular variation. It was also at this time that the game became popular on television, with broadcasts of major poker tournaments drawing large audiences.

A significant part of the strategy in poker involves reading your opponents, as well as knowing when to raise, call or fold. This skill can be learned through practice, and it requires a willingness to take risks. It also teaches the ability to think about a problem from different angles, which can be a useful skill in business and life.

The rules of the game vary between variants, but many require one or more players to place an initial amount of money into the pot before they are dealt any cards. These forced bets are usually called antes, blinds or bring-ins. Some games also use a community pile of cards, which can be passed around in sets or as a single card to each player.