The twin elements of fortune and skill are required to win Poker, but luck is the predominant influence. Poker is not considered a sport, primarily because it does not require athleticism, but rather involves gambling and card play. The game is largely based on initial random distribution, but there are elements of strategy and skill involved mid-game.

A poker game is played with a standard 52-card pack plus one or two jokers. There is usually a supply of poker chips, usually white (or lightest-colored) to represent units or the lowest betting level; red for higher values, and blue for even higher values. During each betting interval, each player puts in the amount of chips that he has chosen to risk. Once the bets are equalized, a showdown takes place in which each player reveals their cards and the best poker hand wins the pot.

In the past, people played poker in their homes and private clubs, but in recent decades it has become more common to play online. Playing online eliminates in-person knowledge of players, including body language and other cues, but most professional online players compensate by building behavioral dossiers on their opponents and collecting or buying records of their opponents’ wagering histories.

Aspiring poker players are often seen in online forums analyzing hands that were played at high stakes. While the underlying reasoning behind such deconstructive analysis is fascinating, it is important to remember that any individual poker play cannot be fully understood outside of its context: other players’ current actions and decisions, the history between those players, the table dynamics at that moment.