Poker is a card game in which players place bets and the highest hand wins. The cards are numbered and suited (from high to low). In most games, each player places an initial bet called the ante or pair plus bet before receiving their cards. This amount varies by game. In addition to the ante, there are sometimes forced bets placed into the pot before the cards are dealt by the player in the seat to their left (or the dealer button).

After each round of betting, players show their hands and the highest hand wins the pot (all of the chips that have been bet during the hand). The narrator usually only describes what can be seen on screen and does not reveal information about the players.

Optimum strategy in poker requires players to play all hands of rank higher than Queen, Six and Four and fold all other hands. This is the only way to maximize the expected return on your investment.

However, many players do not know how to properly bet. This is especially true when playing at a full table where the majority of players have premium opening hands like a pair of Kings or Aces. They tend to check instead of raising and call when they should be raising. This is one of the biggest reasons why many players do not win. It is also why tells are over-emphasized in poker coverage despite the fact that they only work about 30% of the time.