Poker is a game of cards in which players bet on their own hands. The aim is to minimize losses with poor hands and maximize winnings with good ones. The game can be played socially for pennies or matchsticks or professionally for thousands of dollars. A key element of the game is bluffing, which can be used to deceive opponents. The rules of poker can vary widely, but a written code of rules is recommended.
A player may check provided no one before them in a betting interval has made a bet. When a player checks, they remain in the pot and can still be raised by others (if they call). A player who does not want to raise must either call or drop (give up the game). Some poker games require players to contribute an initial contribution to the pot before the cards are dealt. This is known as an ante.
The standard 52-card pack is used, with or without two jokers. The joker counts as a wild card and can be used to make a flush, a straight or certain other types of hand. Some games use two packs of contrasting colors to speed up the deal and the procedure for this is to assemble the cards from the pack that has been dealt, shuffle them and place them to the left before dealing the second pack.
Players are entitled to a reasonable estimation of their opponents’ chip stacks, and the dealer or floor on request will count them (Rule 25). Visible and countable chips increase counting accuracy.