Poker is a card game in which players make bets on the outcome of a hand, according to the rules of the variant being played. The object of the game is to win a pot (the aggregate amount of bets made) by having a superior hand or by bluffing against players holding inferior hands. A poker hand consists of five cards. Unlike other card games, in poker the value of each card is inversely related to its mathematical frequency. Thus, a high-frequency combination of cards is much more likely to be a good hand than a low-frequency one.
After the initial two hole cards are dealt, there is a round of betting. This is triggered by 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. Once this has happened, another card is revealed, called the flop. This is followed by a further round of betting.
Players may also draw replacement cards into their hand during or after the betting round, depending on the specific rules of the game. Some examples of actions a player can perform include Checking, Raise and Fold.
Before any cards are dealt, the rules of the variant being played may require that each player contribute an initial contribution to the pot, known as an ante. This is usually a small amount of chips, representing money.