Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each player has a set of chips that they bet in each round of betting. A player can call (match the amount of money that a preceding player has bet), raise or fold. Each player is dealt two cards. The objective is to make the best five-card poker hand using these two personal cards and the five community cards on the table.

The game requires a high level of comfort with risk and the ability to weigh up a variety of options before making a decision. The game also teaches the importance of knowing your limits and learning when to walk away from a bad hand.

Even the best poker players lose. But how do they minimize their losses and still be profitable? The answer lies in the game’s meta-skills: Opportunities, Strategy and Execution. These three dimensions allow the world’s best players to extract signals from noise and to cultivate and protect their sources of relative advantage.

One of the most critical meta-skills is bankroll management. It is essential that a player always has sufficient funds to play the game. This ensures that, when variance strikes, the player can survive a downswing without jeopardizing their long-term profitability.