Poker is a card game in which players place wagers (cash or chips) against each other on the outcome of a randomly distributed set of cards. Traditionally, poker is played by two to six people around a table. The game involves skill, strategy and chance. Players may gamble money or chips based on actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory.

After a betting interval ends, the remaining players reveal their hands and the player with the best hand wins the pot. If no one calls during the interval, it is possible for a player to check in order to stay in the game and hope that his or her opponents will raise. This strategy is known as “sandbagging.” If the player’s opponent has already raised a bet, the checker must call or drop.

A player’s decision to call or fold a bet is based on their knowledge of their own strength and their assessment of the strength of their opponents’ hands, augmented by a reading of betting patterns. The player who chooses to call may wish to do so in order to keep the betting from getting too high, or to put his or her opponents on a range of hands.

The rules of a poker game are established by consensus or majority agreement among the players. By agreement, it is usually agreed that any low-denomination chips left in the pot when the game ends belong to the kitty, which is used to pay for new decks of cards and food or drinks for the players.