Poker is a card game played between two or more players, and the result of a hand depends on a combination of chance and skill. Like many other games, poker involves gambling aspects and a high degree of luck, but it also requires strategy and reading the other players in the game. The game was first written down in 1694 and is believed to be an ancestor of other card games such as blackjack and rummy.

In poker, players are dealt a hand of cards and placed into a betting pot. Depending on the rules of the game, one or more players may be required to place an initial amount into the pot before the cards are dealt. These are known as forced bets and come in the form of antes, blinds, or bring-ins.

Once the forced bets have been placed, each player can place additional chips or cash into the pot by calling or raising. A player can also choose to fold if their hand is weak or they think that someone else in the table has a better hand.

A key part of poker is being able to read the other players and understand their tells. Tells are unconscious habits or gestures that reveal information about a player’s hand. These can include eye contact, body language, and facial expressions. Many professional poker players use software and other resources to analyze behavioral dossiers on their opponents, as well as to collect and buy hand histories from other players.