Poker is a card game played with chips (representing money) in which players place bets against one another. It’s an addictive and challenging game that requires patience and discipline to get good at. It’s important to learn the rules of poker and practice before playing with other people. You’ll also want to know your opponents and understand their body language. This will help you avoid making any mistakes that could cost you a lot of money.

In a poker hand, each player is dealt two cards. After the dealer deals the cards, each player either “calls” a bet or raises it. If a player raises, he must put into the pot at least as many chips as the person before him or drop out of the hand.

The player with the highest ranked hand of cards wins, and the winner takes all bets in the pot. The highest ranked hand is usually a pair of matching cards but can be any type of combination. The value of a pair depends on the rank of the highest card in each.

It’s important to play your strongest hands aggressively and make the other players think you have a strong hand. This will help you win more chips in the long run. It’s also important to fast-play weaker hands, which will build the pot and chase off players who might have a better hand than yours.