Poker is a card game in which players bet into a central pot (representing money) in order to win the hand. It is often played by two or more people at a table and the game can be quite complex, with many variants of rules and betting.

Before the cards are dealt, players must place an initial amount of money into the pot, called antes or blinds. This is a compulsory bet, and it creates an incentive to play. Once the bets are made, the deal begins and each player has 2 hole cards. There is a round of betting that follows, and the highest hand wins the pot.

After the flop is dealt, another round of betting takes place, this time starting with the player to the left of the dealer. If no one makes a high enough hand to win the pot, the players remaining in the hand must decide whether to fold their cards or risk losing their entire stack to the next player.

A large part of winning poker is knowing how to read the other players at the table. There are many books written on the subject, and you can improve your ability by tracking the tells of other players, such as their body language and their handling of chips and cards. It is often easier to spot tells when you are not involved in a hand, so make sure to take advantage of downtime between hands to study your opponents.