Poker is a card game that involves betting and has millions of fans. It’s a game that requires an understanding of the rules, psychology and probability to make good decisions when you don’t have all the facts. You’ll also need to know how to read your opponents — their body language, facial expressions and gestures are known as tells. This skill, called reading your opponent, is important for making sure your bluffs work and that you don’t make costly mistakes.

The game begins with players putting in forced bets, either an ante or blind bet. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to each player, starting with the player on their left. Each player then aims to make the best five-card hand. The winning hand wins the pot, which is all the chips that have been bet so far. Occasionally, there will be a tie for the best hand, in which case each player with a good hand splits the pot.

To make a good hand, you need to have at least three cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards. You can also get a flush, which is any 5 cards that are consecutive in rank and from the same suit, or a straight, which is any 5-card sequence that skips around in rank but is still of one suit. A pair is two cards of the same rank, and a straight or a flush beats them.