Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the likelihood of forming a certain hand. The game is characterized by a slow build-up of the betting pool before the showdown, in which all remaining players reveal their cards. The winner collects the pot of money. The game offers many mechanisms by which players can strategically misinform other players about the strength of their hands. For example, players with strong hands can make small bets to keep the pot growing, while players with weak hands may raise their bets to scare other players into folding before the showdown.
There is considerable skill at poker, but even the best players require a large amount of luck to win tournaments. Despite the reputation of poker as a reckless game of chance, most professional players are not heedless risk-seekers; rather, they spend thousands of hours studying the game in order to gain an edge over their opponents.