Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the outcome of a hand. The goal is to win the pot – all bets placed during that hand – by having the highest ranked hand of cards. This can be done either by putting down your own cards in a showdown or by bluffing – pretending that you have a higher ranked hand than you actually have.
The rules of poker vary from one game to another, but they always involve betting and a shared pool of money (the pot). A standard deck of 52 cards is used; there are often two separate decks with different backs, which may be kept shuffled beside the dealer’s chair while the player deals. Two to seven players may play. Some games also use wild cards or jokers.
After a player has antes or blind bets in place, the dealer shuffles and deals cards to each player, starting with the player to their left. The first round of betting begins, and each player can either call a bet or raise it. If the player does not raise their bet, they must fold and drop out of the current hand.
It is important to learn how to read the tells of other players – unconscious habits that reveal information about their current hand. This is a key skill that you can apply both in poker and in life, and is often a better way to beat an opponent than just calling bets without thinking.