Poker is a card game that involves betting. Players make bets based on the strength of their hands and also may bluff. The value of a poker hand is determined in part by its mathematical frequency. Poker has many variants, but most share certain features. Some forms of the game are suitable for as few as two players, while others require a larger number of players. Regardless of the exact rules, all forms involve an object called a pot, into which players place bets (usually chips representing money) at different times in the course of a single deal. The player who has the highest-ranking hand at the end of a round of betting wins the pot.
Before the cards are dealt, one or more players must make forced bets, typically an ante or blind bet. Each player then places in the pot chips that are at least equal to or more than those placed by the player before him, and may raise the amount he has placed if he wishes to do so. If he does not raise, he is said to call.
In most games, the standard 52-card pack is used, with a joker and sometimes one or more deuces designated as wild cards. Occasionally, two packs of contrasting colors are used to speed the game up by allowing a single dealer to simultaneously assemble and deal cards from both packs while the other is being shuffled and prepared for the next deal.