Poker is a card game in which players place chips into the pot according to their individual strategies. The player with the highest-ranked hand at the end of a betting interval wins the pot. While the outcome of a single hand may involve significant amounts of chance, the long-run expectations of players are determined by actions chosen on the basis of probability, psychology, and game theory.

To improve your chances of winning, make sure to play with strong hands and avoid bluffing too often. You’ll also need to learn how to read the tells of other players, such as body language and fidgeting. These “tells” indicate whether a player is holding a strong hand or not, so it’s important to study their behavior and read them.

Unlike some other card games, the value of a Poker hand depends heavily on the strength of the opponent’s hands. You’ll lose a lot of money on a pair of Aces if another player has A-A, but you’ll win a lot more with a flop of 10-8-6. This is called the “pairs vs. suited” rule.

Before the cards are dealt, one or more players must place an initial amount of money into the pot – called forced bets. These bets can come in the form of antes, blinds, or bring-ins. Each poker variant has its own rules about how many players are required to place a bet. A player’s contribution to the pot must be at least equal to that of the players who placed bets before him, or he must fold.