Poker is a card game that is played by two or more players. The game requires a lot of raw technical skill but also the ability to read your opponents and to make big bluffs. It is a betting game and the object of the game is to steal chips from your opponents.

The game begins when one or more players place forced bets, usually an ante and a blind bet. The dealer shuffles the cards and then deals them to each player, one at a time, starting with the player to their left. The cards may be dealt face up or face down depending on the variant of the game being played. A round of betting then takes place and after the betting is complete a fifth community card is put on the board which any player can use.

Once everyone has the chance to check/raise/fold their hands the dealer puts a sixth card on the table that anyone can use called the river. At this point the highest ranked hand wins.

There are many different variations of poker and the rules for each game vary slightly but most of them follow a similar format. The most popular variation of poker is Texas hold ’em which gained enormous popularity after it was televised in the early 1990s and which led to the huge poker boom that took place between 2003 and 2006. The game continues to be hugely popular and there are countless events and online gambling sites offering the game.