Poker is a card game that can be played in different ways, but typically involves players betting money into a common pot. The highest hand wins the pot. The game can be fast-paced, so it’s important to be able to extract the most value from winning hands and minimise losses from losing ones. This is known as MinMax.

The rules of poker are generally agreed upon, but variations are numerous. Most involve dealing a standard 52-card deck (some games may include additional cards or wild cards). Each player antes some amount, usually at least the minimum bet. The dealer then shuffles and deals cards to the players one at a time, starting with the player to their right. Cards are stacked either face up or down, depending on the game.

When betting gets around to you, you have the option to “call” (match the previous bet), raise it, or fold. Saying “raise” puts more money into the betting pool and indicates that you believe your hand is strong enough to win.

A good poker player can identify players’ betting patterns, such as identifying conservative players who tend to fold early in their hands, and aggressive players who often bet high early on before they see how other players react to their cards. They also use software to build behavioral dossiers on their opponents and sometimes buy records of other players’ “hand histories.” This helps them understand how to exploit others and protect themselves from being bluffed by them.