Poker is a card game that involves betting and bluffing. It can be played by two to 14 players. The object is to win the pot, which is the sum total of all bets made during a single hand. This may be accomplished by having the highest-ranking hand, or by making a bet that no other player calls.

In most forms of poker, a player must put chips (representing money) into the pot in turn during each betting interval. This is called “calling.” In addition, a player may raise the amount of his own bet by a specified amount, typically no more than twice the amount raised by the player before him. If a player does not call or raise, he discards his hand and is said to drop (“fold”).

Most forms of poker require at least one mandatory bet at the beginning of a hand, known as an ante. The amount of the ante depends on the specific game and can be adjusted by mutual agreement between players.

During the course of a hand, players can also discard and draw new cards to replace those in their hands. Depending on the rules of the particular game, this may be done during or after a betting round. Often, the number of replacement cards is limited, and the player can only have one of them in his hand at any time.

Aside from the cards in your own hand, a good poker hand is determined by the other cards on the table. This is why it’s important to pay attention to what your opponents are doing. For example, a player who blinks frequently might be bluffing with weak cards. A player who chews gum might be trying to mask nervousness.