Poker is a card game played with a standard pack of 52 cards plus one or more wild cards (jokers). It is usually a game of chance, but strategy plays an important role. The highest hand wins the pot. Poker is normally played in a betting round, with players calling or raising each other in turn until the pot amount reaches its final value. A player may also drop or fold his hand, leaving himself out of contention for the pot.

There are a number of key skills beginners must learn in order to succeed at poker. Firstly, they must understand how the game works and its basic rules. This will include understanding the different types of hands, such as the straight, flush and three of a kind. They should also know the odds of a winning hand, which can be calculated using a variety of formulas. These calculations will allow them to determine the likelihood of a given hand and adjust their bet size accordingly.

Another skill beginners must learn is to read other players and watch for tells. This includes looking for nervous habits such as fiddling with chips, but can also involve watching the way a player moves in their chair or looks at their hand. This will help them avoid making mistakes such as underplaying a pair of kings only to lose to someone who checked before the flop and caught a third king on the river.