Poker is a card game in which players place bets to form a poker hand. The winner of a hand takes all the money placed into the pot. In the long run, poker combines chance with a lot of psychology and skill.

The game starts with each player making a bet, called a “blind bet.” The person to the left of the dealer places the small blind and then the big blind. After this, the cards are dealt. Depending on the poker variant, the dealer may shuffle the deck once or twice before dealing the cards.

When it’s your turn to act, you can fold your hand, call a bet (equal to the last one), or raise it. A raise indicates that you want to add more money into the pot than what has already been bet.

Getting good at reading your opponents’ body language is another important part of poker strategy. This is known as reading tells and is a key to winning. However, if you’re going to use bluffing in your strategy, it’s best to play strong hands that make a great bluff.

It’s also a good idea to be the last player to act. This way, you can control the price of the pot when you have a strong value hand and can deflate the pot when you’re in a drawing or bluffing situation.