Poker is a card game that may be played between two or more players. It is a game of betting, where the objective is to win the “pot,” or the aggregate amount of all bets made during one deal. This pot is won either by forming the best possible poker hand, or by bluffing when no other player calls a bet.
The game is usually played with chips, with white chips worth the minimum ante or bet, and different colored chips worth higher amounts. A chip may be a single unit or multiple units: for example, five whites equals 25 chips; four reds equals 50 chips. A standard 53-card pack, sometimes with a joker, is used; the joker counts as an ace (higher than any other card) or as part of certain special hands. Deuces (twos) are wild.
Unlike some other games, Poker is generally played with a fixed set of rules, although local customs and preferences may be followed. In addition to the official rules, a written code of Poker laws should be used as the final arbiter in settling all questions.
A player’s success at poker depends on his or her ability to extract signal from noise, to make decisions under uncertainty and ambiguity, and to understand the behavior of other players. Moreover, successful players are able to remain calm and disciplined even when things go wrong. This ability is the mark of a true professional, a master of poker.