Poker is a card game where the twin elements of skill and fortune combine to make winning hands possible. Over time, the application of skill will virtually eliminate the impact of luck.

Poker consists of a series of betting rounds, each involving one or more players, in which the best five-card hand wins a pot consisting of all bets placed during the round. At the end of the final betting round, the cards are turned face up and a showdown occurs. The winner of the showdown receives all bets made on his or her hand, which are added to a pot accumulated from previous betting rounds.

Prior to the final showdown, each player may be required to make a forced bet called an ante. The ante is usually equal to the amount of the blind bet. Then the dealer shuffles the deck and deals a full hand of cards to each player, beginning with the player on his or her left. The cards can be dealt either face-up or face-down, depending on the variant being played.

After the flop, turn and river, each player is allowed to raise their bets. A player may also choose to bet nothing, which is called checking. However, a player must call any bet raised by another player during a betting interval.

Skilled players self-select into a range of stake levels on the basis of their perception of their own ability. This means that the average level of play across all players is relatively high, and it will take longer than in professional sports or games like chess and bridge for differences to materialize.