Poker is a card game where players bet on the strength of their hand. The best hand wins the pot. If a player has a good hand, they can also try to scare off other players by betting large amounts – this is called bluffing.

Each round of betting starts with one player putting some chips into the pot. The other players must either “call” the bet by putting in the same number of chips or raise it. Players can also fold, in which case they put all of their cards into the middle and are out of the betting for that round.

The best hands in poker are usually straights and flushes, which are made up of five consecutive cards of the same suit. However, there are many other combinations that can win the pot, including a full house (three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another) or a pair (2 cards of the same rank).

If you have a strong hand, it’s usually a good idea to try to make it stronger by raising. This will force weaker hands to fold and you’ll probably win the pot. If your hand isn’t strong enough, it’s better to just call and hope for the best.