A card game played by two or more players. The goal is to win the “pot” – all of the bets made during a hand. There are many variations of poker and the rules vary between games.

During each betting interval, called a “round,” each player must either call the bet by putting in the same amount as or more than the player to their left, raise, or fold. The player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot.

The game of poker became more popular in the early 21st century, partly because the invention of the hole-card camera allowed broadcasting of live tournaments. This has helped to attract large audiences and to make the game more of a spectator sport.

Poker has many strategy considerations, including the probability of getting specific cards in a hand and the relative strength of different hands. Knowing these probabilities will help you to calculate your chances of winning a hand.

Playing a strong pre-flop hand like pocket kings or queens is a good idea, but you should also be willing to bluff. In most cases, this will be cheaper than playing a weak hand and it will reduce the chances of another player beating you with an unlucky flop.

It’s important to know when to fold, and this is largely a matter of instincts. Watching experienced players and thinking how you would react in their position can help to build your instincts.