Poker is a card game that can be played by two or more players. It is a game of chance and skill, with many possible strategies, including bluffing. Poker is very fast-paced, and bets are placed continuously until one player has all the chips or everyone folds. Players may choose to call, raise, or check (decline to bet). The player who makes the highest-ranking hand wins the pot of money.

The rules of poker vary between different variants of the game, but most involve a fixed number of cards being dealt to each player and betting in rounds. The player who initiates the first round of betting may either call or raise, but must always match the previous player’s stake. This method is called a “matching” bet. Players may also bet more than the amount they have in their possession, but a player cannot win more than the amount they have staked at any point.

The game’s inherent unpredictability is a powerful metaphor for storytelling and provides an array of opportunities to add intrigue to a narrative. Just as a good poker player learns to read their opponents, a writer must understand their audience and tailor their storytelling to keep them engaged. The concept of a tell, for example, is a useful tool for creating characters with hidden agendas. Thinking in Bets is a helpful construct for decision making that draws on cognitive psychology, behavioral economics, and game theory.