Poker is a card game that involves betting, and can be played by two or more players. The object of the game is to win the pot, which is the sum of all bets made in a single deal. There are many different ways to win a hand, including having the best possible cards, having a good poker face, and reading your opponent’s body language.

To start a hand of poker, one or more players are required to place an amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. This is called a forced bet, and it can come in the form of an ante or a blind bet (or both). After this, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals each player two cards, known as their hole cards, followed by five community cards in three stages: a flop, a second pair of cards, referred to as the turn, and a final card, which is known as the river.

The game has been around for a long time, and it first became popular in America in the 1700s. Since then, it has spread to many countries and has been developed into several different variants. Some of the most popular include draw poker and stud poker. In each variant, the aim is to make the best five-card hand possible, using your own two cards and the community cards. Depending on the rules of your game, you can also decide whether to check, call, or raise.