Poker is a card game of skill and chance that involves betting between players during each hand. The player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot, which is all the bets placed during that hand. Alternatively, the player may choose to raise the amount of his bet, in which case he must match the raise of the last active player. If he is unwilling or unable to do this, he must fold.

There are many forms of Poker, but they all share the same basic principles. The number of players can vary, but the ideal is five to seven people. The dealer (also known as the button) passes around the table clockwise after each deal, with the person to his left acting as cut. The cards are shuffled and the player to his left places chips into the pot, or “button.”

A hand is formed when you have 3 matching cards of one rank or 2 matching cards of another rank and three unmatched cards. Straights and flushes are also common hand combinations. A pair is a combination of two matching cards of the same rank, or two cards that skip around in rank but are both from the same suit.

What makes Poker interesting is the people and their reactions to the cards that are dealt. It is these personal elements of the game that make it a staple of television shows and movies. One of the most useful tricks in poker is to learn to read a player’s tells, or unconscious habits that reveal information about their hands. These can include eye contact, facial expressions and body language.