Poker is a card game where players compete to make the best 5-card hand. It is a game of betting, strategy and psychology. It requires the ability to read your opponent and a cool demeanor. A good poker player is able to make a large profit from small bets and big bluffs. In addition to these skills, poker also involves a fair amount of luck.

In a standard game of poker, each player and the dealer are dealt two cards face down. These are known as your hole cards. If you decide to play your hand, you must put down a bet that is double your ante bet. Then, the dealer deals three cards face-up in the center of the table, which are called community cards. These cards are shared by all players and can be used to make a final hand.

You must always be careful to protect your hole cards and never show them to other players unless you want to. It is considered poor etiquette and could give the other players information they shouldn’t have. Other common tricks include hiding your high-value chips to make them look shorter, counting your chips in front of other players, and verbally saying you are raising without actually putting up any money.

The goal of poker is to win your opponents’ chips. You do this by having a good hand and betting often. A good poker hand consists of three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank or three unmatched cards of different ranks. The best poker hand is a royal flush, which consists of all the face cards (ten through ace) of the same suit.