Poker is a card game played by a group of players in which each player places chips (representing money) into the pot during betting intervals. The pot is won by the player who has the highest hand at the end of the hand. The game has a great deal of skill and psychology involved in it, though the outcome of each hand is largely based on chance.

Each player starts the hand by putting some amount of money into the pot, called “antes.” This is typically done in a clockwise direction. Players then get dealt cards, and betting continues until everyone calls or folds. Players who raise a bet add more chips to the pot and are known as “raising.”

A poker hand is made up of five cards that are all of the same suit. The best poker hands are straights, flushes and three of a kind. A straight contains 5 cards of consecutive rank, while a flush contains all 5 cards of the same suit. A three of a kind is made up of 3 matching cards of the same rank, and a pair is 2 matching cards of the same rank plus 1 unmatched card.

One of the most important aspects of a strong poker hand is being able to read your opponents. This includes their bets, as well as body language and other tells. A tell is something a player does unconsciously that gives away information about his or her poker hand. Examples of tells include eye contact, facial expressions, body posture and even gestures.