Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (or money in a cash game) and the player who has the best hand wins. There are many variants of the game, but most games have five cards and a showdown to determine a winner. Players can raise or re-raise during each betting round, but only the highest hand at the end of the final betting round wins.
Unlike other card games, players do not reveal their cards until the showdown. This gives the croupiers and players some privacy. It also prevents a player from winning more than they have staked, even if they are in the best hand at the time of the showdown.
The game begins with each player placing an ante (amount varies by game, our games are typically a nickel). After this all players receive two cards face down. A round of betting then commences, initiated by 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. These bets help create an incentive to play by giving players a pot to win.
As the game has evolved, it has become increasingly popular worldwide. It has a relatively high skill factor, especially at the higher levels of play. Several variants have been developed, including seven-card poker, the game of choice in major poker tournaments. The popularity of poker has led to the development of a wide variety of related games such as the pai gow and baccarat.