Poker is a card game played between a number of players. It involves betting on a hand of cards and the player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot. The game has many variants, but they all have the same core rules. To be a good poker player you need to have raw technical skill to maximize your edge in-game, as well as understanding of basic probability and game theory.

At the beginning of each round of betting, a complete set of cards is dealt to each player. This is known as the flop. Each player must decide whether to call, raise, or fold. A raise is an amount greater than the previous player’s bet, and it requires that the player calling match or beat it. A fold means that you give up your cards.

Bluffing in poker is the act of pretending that your hand is better than it actually is to make other players fold and abandon their own hands. To bluff well in poker you must be able to read your opponents. This requires paying attention to subtle physical tells, and analyzing the way they play their cards and their chips.

The highest-ranking poker hand is a royal flush, which includes a 10 of clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades and an ace of any suit. This can only be beaten by another royal flush or four of a kind (each card of the same rank). Other high-ranking poker hands include straights, three-of-a-kind and two pairs.