Poker is a card game that involves betting. At the end of the round, all bets are gathered into the pot. Players may fold their hand if they don’t want to compete. Other players may bluff. Players make their decisions based on probability, psychology, and game theory. For example, a player may raise his bet if he has the highest pair of cards.

Poker games can have any number of players, but the ideal number is six or eight. Players purchase chips, known as chips, from the dealer. The lowest chip in the game is the white chip. A red chip is worth two, four, or five reds, and a blue chip is worth ten or twenty or more whites. During the game, players “buy in,” buying chips in the amount equal to the previous player’s contribution to the pot.

Depending on the game, each player will be required to place an ante. The ante is a small bet, usually $1 or $5. The game proceeds clockwise, and the highest hand wins the pot. When all players have placed their bets, betting will continue until the winner folds, or all players have folded.

In the first round, any player who is to the left of the big blind must make the first bet. The player must have a minimum hand of five cards to make the first bet. A pair of jacks or better is often considered the minimum hand.