Poker is a card game where players place wagers against one another and win by having the highest-ranking hand of cards at the end of a betting round. Each player is dealt two cards that are private to them, then five community cards are revealed in three stages known as the flop, turn, and river. The player with the highest ranked hand when all of the cards are shown wins the pot (all bets placed during that hand).

In most poker games, each player must place an initial amount into the pot before the cards are dealt. This is called the forced bet and can take several forms, including an ante, a blind bet, or both. A player can raise and re-raise bets during the course of a single betting round. The raised amounts are gathered into the central “pot” and shared by all players.

It is possible to make money in poker by having a good hand, but the majority of winning hands are made by raising other players’ bets. This is called bluffing and can be done for a number of reasons, such as believing that your hand has positive expected value or hoping to scare off other players who have superior hands.

To be a successful bluffer in poker, it is important to learn to read your opponents. This includes their body language, idiosyncrasies, and betting patterns. It is also helpful to learn what the other players are holding so you can read their tells.