Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (representing money) against each other by calling, raising, or folding. It is played in private homes, card clubs, and casinos, as well as over the Internet. It has become the national card game of the United States, and its play and jargon have spread worldwide.

There are many variants of the game, but all involve a betting round before cards are dealt. A designated player, called the button, determines when the action begins each hand, and moves one spot clockwise after each betting interval. Players who want to stay in the pot must make a bet equal to or higher than the bet made by the last active player before him. This is known as posting the blinds.

After the betting round is over, the players reveal their hands and the best 5-card hand wins the pot. Sometimes, there is a tie for the best hand, and in this case, the players with that hand split the pot evenly.

The most interesting stories in poker focus on the human element of the game — the way that players react to each other and by-play at the table. The details of a series of card draws, bets, checks and reveals will quickly become monotonous without strong character reaction or other compelling by-play. Instead, a writer should focus on the nuances of each game, including tells — unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand. These can be as simple as a change in posture or as complex as a body language gesture.