Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each player makes a hand based on the cards they are dealt, and then bets on it. The player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot at the end of the betting round. The game originated in the Wild West and has since spread to all corners of the globe, becoming a staple in saloons and casino floors alike. Poker is one of the few card games that requires both skill and luck to win.
The game is a mix of chance, strategy, psychology, and math. While the outcome of a particular hand largely depends on chance, skill-based decisions chosen by the players can improve the overall expected value of the game in the long run.
Players take turns clockwise around the table revealing their hands. This process is called the “flop.” If a player doesn’t want to reveal their hand, they can choose not to. Players can also raise or fold.
A player can make a winning hand with a pair, three of a kind, straight, or flush. A pair is two cards of the same rank, three of a kind is three of the same rank, and a flush is 5 cards of consecutive rank in more than one suit.
Reading your opponents is a key part of poker. While it’s possible to develop a general ability to read people, poker tells are more specific and require a closer look at mood shifts, body language, and other subtle signals.