Poker is a game of cards, where players place bets to win money or chips in an increasing pot. A player can raise, call or fold their hand during the betting phase of a hand. The player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot or all bets made during that hand.

Each player places a bet before the cards are dealt. This bet is called an ante, blind or bring-in. This bet is mandatory and provides an incentive for players to play the hand. Once the cards have been dealt, there is a round of betting which starts with the player to the left of the dealer.

Once the betting has finished, all players reveal their hands and bet again in accordance with their strategy. This continues until all players have folded or one player has the best ranked hand.

The value of a hand is determined by the rank of its highest card and its suit. The higher the rank, the better the hand. There are a few basic hand rankings:

Maria Konnikova is a writer and former academic psychologist. She plays poker because she believes it can teach us how to make decisions in a complex world. She writes about the game to help other people improve their decision-making. Her work is informed by the ideas of the mathematician John von Neumann, who developed a mathematical model for human decision-making, known as game theory. She is currently working on a book about the psychological implications of games like poker.