Poker is a card game that requires skill as well as luck. The game has many variations, but they all have a few similarities. In most forms of the game players place bets against one another using chips (a representation of money) that can be exchanged for real cash at the end of the hand. Players play for the pot, which is the total of all bets placed during a deal.

The basic rules of poker are as follows:

Each player must make a contribution to the pot, called an ante, before betting begins. The first player to bet must make a bet equal to or greater than the amount of the previous bettor’s contribution. If you bet more than the previous bettor, you are raising. If you don’t want to raise, you can “check” and stay in the hand without making a bet.

When you have a strong poker hand, you can call or raise bets from other players. When you do this, it’s important to know how to read other players. You can learn to read other players by watching them and noticing their physical tells. These can be as simple as a change in body language or as complex as a gesture.

A poker hand is a combination of your two personal cards and the five community cards on the table. Typically, you need at least a pair to win. The highest poker hand wins the pot. If there are multiple hands with the same rank, the high card breaks the tie.