Poker is a card game that involves betting among players, with each player having two cards dealt face down and five community cards. The aim is to make the best 5-card hand using your own two cards and the five community cards. A round of betting then takes place and the winner is the player with the highest value hand (either high card, straight or pair). There are a number of variations in the rules and betting procedure but it all boils down to reading other players’ actions and body language. This is known as “reading tells” and one of the keys to good poker play.

The game is played on a table and all players have chips to bet with. A player must either raise his bet or fold his hand. Players also have the option to check, which means that they do not bet and will simply wait until the turn comes around again.

When a player raises, he must raise the amount of chips in the pot by at least the same amount that was raised before him. This is known as the “matching method.”

If a player has a weak hand, he should fold before it gets too expensive. A strong hand should always be played, even if it is unlikely to win. Some players, called “fish,” are risk-takers who play with a lot of confidence and can be difficult to read. Others are more conservative and will only stay in a hand when they have a strong one.