Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involving betting. The goal is to win the pot, which is the total amount of bets made during a deal. Each player places chips into the pot in turn, starting with the player to his left. During each betting interval, a player may choose to place his chips into the pot, call (match a previous player’s bet), or raise (bet more than a previous player did).

In a poker hand, each player has five cards. Two of these are his personal cards, and the remaining three are community cards that everyone else has access to. The value of a poker hand is determined by its mathematical frequency, and players can use the information they have about other players’ hands to make strategic bets.

The first step in learning to play poker is understanding the basic rules and strategy. It’s also important to study charts so you know which hands beat what. For example, a full house contains three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank, while a flush includes 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. Lastly, it’s crucial to understand how to read your opponents. Every action, from folds to calls, tells a story about your opponent’s strength or weakness. If they bet often, you can tell they’re strong, while if they check frequently it’s likely they’re weak. The more you practice, the better your instincts will become.