When a player wins all of the chips in play, the tournament or Sit And Go has come close. Cash games don't have a formal finish because players may always rebuy if they lose their chips, but participants usually agree to conclude the game at a specific time. As a result, only competitions have a distinct conclusion.

The object is to win the pot,  which is the aggregate of all bets made by all players in any one deal. The pot may be won either by having the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. The following principles apply to nearly all forms of poker.