Poker is a card game played between two or more people. It is a game of chance as well as skill, but it is important to know the basics before you play.
In most forms of poker 2 cards are dealt to each player. A round of betting then starts with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can check, raise or fold. This is called the preflop.
Once the betting has finished 3 more cards are dealt on the table that everyone can use. This is called the flop. There is another round of betting that starts with the player to the left of the button.
The highest ranking poker hand is a royal flush which contains a ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit. There are also straights which contain five consecutive cards of the same suit and a pair which is made up of two matching cards of different ranks and an unmatched fifth card.
One of the most important skills in poker is being able to read your opponents. This can be done by paying attention to subtle physical poker tells, but it can also be done by looking at patterns in their betting. For example, if a player is raising the pot with every bet then they are probably playing some pretty crappy cards and should be ignored. Conversely, if a player only bets when they have good cards then they are likely to be aggressive and should be considered carefully before calling.