Poker is a card game in which players bet into a common pot to win chips (representing money). The cards are dealt from the dealer, one at a time. The player to the left of the dealer places an initial amount of money into the pot – this is called an ante or blind bet. In turn, each player may either call the new bet or fold his hand. The higher a hand is ranked, the more likely it is that another player will call a bet and compete for the pot. This competition is a key element of the game, and it can be augmented by players who bluff.

There are many variants of poker, but they all share some basic features. Some games have fewer than five cards, while others are played with more than 10. The number of players can also vary, from two to ten or more.

The rules of the game are generally standardized by the game’s creator. The rules include a fixed number of betting intervals and the fact that a hand must consist of at least five cards to rank high.

The game has been around for a long time and became popular in America after 1875, when the full 52-card English deck was introduced. In addition to allowing the game to be played with more cards, this development helped transform poker into a spectator sport by making it easier for players to bet against each other and follow other players’ actions.