Poker is a card game in which the object is to win the pot (the sum total of all bets placed during one deal) by having the highest ranking hand. There are a few rules that need to be followed in order to play poker properly. Firstly, the players must always pay attention to their opponents and try to read them. A large part of this comes from subtle physical poker tells (like scratching the nose or nervously playing with chips), but it also includes paying attention to patterns. For example, if someone is calling every bet, it’s safe to assume that they are only playing strong hands.
During each betting interval (or round) in the hand, the dealer will deal two cards to each player. Each player must then choose whether to call the bet – meaning they put the same amount into the pot as the player before them – raise it or fold. If they fold, they lose any money they have already put into the pot and will not be involved in that round.
A good poker hand is made up of a pair, a flush or a straight. A pair consists of 2 cards of the same rank, while a flush is 5 cards that are consecutive in rank but different suits. The straight is any 5-card hand that doesn’t fit into either of these categories. It is also possible to make a high-card hand, which is just a single card of any rank.