Poker is a card game that involves skill, psychology and mathematics. While the final outcome of any hand depends on chance, long-run expectations are determined by the actions players choose to take on the basis of probability and game theory. Minimizing losses with poor hands and maximizing wins with good ones is the core of the strategy.

The first step is to understand the basic rules of poker. A player begins each betting interval with a set number of chips that he or she must put into the pot to call the bet made by the player before him. This amount is called the ante. Players may also raise the bet by adding more to the ante, or drop (fold).

In the simplest form of poker, each player has five cards. The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush, which consists of the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of the same suit. A straight flush is the second-highest hand. A pair of aces is the lowest hand.

During each betting interval, players have the option to match or raise the bets placed by their predecessors. To call a bet, a player must have enough chips to match the total amount that his or her predecessors put into the pot, or the player must fold. A player who calls a bet cannot raise the bet again, but can repeat the same action at a later betting interval. A player who folds will lose any chips that he or she has already put into the pot.