Poker is a card game played between two or more players. A dealer deals the cards and then players bet on their hands. The winner is the player who has the best five-card hand. The game has several variations, but they all use the same basic rules.

In most modern games, each player buys in for a set amount of chips. Typically, white chips are worth one unit of the minimum ante or bet, red chips are worth five whites, and blue chips are worth 10 whites. The players then pass the button (dealer) to the next player on their left after each hand. The dealer may also shuffle and cut the deck after each deal.

Players may check, raise, or fold their cards to stay in the round. They can also call a raise by matching the previous player’s bet to stay in the hand. If they have a high hand, they can win the pot by betting more than everyone else.

The ability to play Poker well teaches important lessons about strategic thinking and risk management. For self-made billionaire Jenny Just, 54, the co-founder of financial firm PEAK6 Investments, the lesson began when she sat down to learn the game with her teen daughter Juliette a few years ago. She quickly realized that the skills and strategy she learned in poker could also help her at work and in life. To thrive in business, she says, you have to take risks. But some of those risks will fail – and you need to know when to walk away.