Poker is a card game played by players in which they try to put together the best possible hand of five cards in order to win cash or poker chips. The game can be played by two or more people and involves placing an ante before anyone sees their cards. This creates a pot and encourages competition. Poker has a long history as a bluffing game and its rules have evolved from a number of different games, including three-card brag and the ante game of Primero.

The dealer deals each player two cards. They then decide whether to call a bet made by the person to their left or fold their cards. If they call the bet they must place the same amount of money in the pot as the previous player. If they have a strong hand and don’t want to risk losing it, they can raise the amount of their bet.

After everyone has called a bet the dealer deals three more cards on the table. These are called the flop and they can be used by everyone. If you have a strong hand then you can say hit and the dealer will give you another card.

When you play poker you must be able to read your opponents. Learn the tells and pay attention to their body language. If they are sighing, looking away from the table, flaring their nostrils or flushing red it is likely that they have a strong hand and are not bluffing.