Poker is a card game in which players make wagers by betting and raising or folding according to the rules of the variant of poker being played. The object of the game is to win the pot, or the amount of money all players have put into play. There are many different poker variations, and each one uses a slightly different deck of cards.

Poker became popular in the early 21st century largely because of the advent of online gambling, but it’s been around for a long time before that. It’s also a great spectator sport, and televised tournaments draw large audiences.

There are several ways to play poker, but most of them are based on the same basic principles. First, the dealer gives each player 2 cards that are face down. Then a round of betting starts with the player to his or her left. The player can choose to raise, call or fold.

Once the players have acted in the betting round a third card is dealt on the table that everyone can use, this is called the flop. There is another round of betting, and the player who has the best 3 card hand wins.

There is an old saying in poker, “Play the player, not the cards”. This means that your hand is only good or bad in relation to what other players are holding. For example, if you have pocket kings and the flop is 10-8-5 then you can expect to lose 82% of the time.