Poker is a card game involving betting between players. It can be played by two to 14 people, though the ideal number is 6 or 7. Each player has 2 cards that are hidden from the other players and a hand consisting of the best five-card combination wins the pot. The game is played with a standard pack of 52 cards (though some variant games use multiple packs or add jokers). Cards are ranked from high to low in the suits of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs.
A player can call a bet, raise it or fold. If he calls, he must put money into the pot equal to the amount raised since his last turn. He can also fold and give up his hand. The dealer is responsible for shuffling the cards and dealing them to each player, although some games assign the dealer role to a non-player, and even in this case he passes on his responsibilities after each round of betting.
The game has been the subject of research in fields as diverse as psychology, game theory, computer science and economics. In the past, it was largely considered an intuitive game where strong players could make big profits by exploiting their opponents’ weaknesses and tendencies. Today, many professional players spend most of their time studying the game using a set of formalized GTO strategies that they memorize. In the hands of expert players, these strategies can lead to a significant edge over recreational players.