Poker is a card game played between two or more players. The highest hand wins the pot. The game is often regarded as a card game of chance, but there is also a lot of skill involved. There are many variations of the game but most games involve placing an initial bet, called a blind or an ante, before cards are dealt. Players then act in turns in order to bet chips into the pot.

A standard pack of 52 cards is used (although some variant games use multiple packs or add jokers). The cards are ranked from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5. The game may also feature one or more wild cards that can take on any suit and rank (aces, deuces, or even ones-eyed jacks).

Each player takes their turn betting into the pot by saying either ‘call’ or ‘raise.’ If you say ‘call’, you bet the same amount as the player to your left. If you raise the previous player’s raise, you are said to re-raise.

Paying attention to your opponents is an essential part of the game. This is often referred to as reading your opponent and can be done through subtle physical tells or by paying attention to their betting patterns. For example, if someone bets their whole stack on the flop, you can be sure they’re holding a strong hand. If they check and call, it’s likely that they have a weak hand.