Poker is a game of chance when no money is at risk, but once betting begins it becomes quite a bit more about psychology and skill (although the luck factor still plays a big part). The most important thing is to bet aggressively. If you play passively, people will just call your bets every time. When you play aggressively, they will either fold their weak hands or they will be forced to make a bigger bet in order to stay in the hand. Either way, you will have a much better chance of winning.

When it is your turn, you can “call” the amount that the previous player bet (putting in as many chips as they did) or you can raise your own stake if you think you have a strong hand. You can also fold your cards, which means you are out of the hand and will not bet anymore.

The person with the best hand wins the pot, which is the total of all the bets in a deal. There are different types of poker, and the number of players may vary from 2 to 14. The first player in each betting interval must place an ante (an amount of chips representing money) to participate in the hand.

The earliest evidence of poker is from 13th century China, although it is possible that playing-cards were invented a few centuries earlier. The cards were probably introduced to Europe from the Islamic Mamluk Empire through Venice.