Poker is a card game that can be played by any number of players. The object of the game is to win the “pot,” which is the sum total of all bets made during a single deal, by having the best hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. The game can be played with 2 to 14 players, but the ideal number is 6 or 7 people. In most forms of the game, each player is dealt two cards, which form their personal “hand,” and then five community cards are dealt. The players then try to make the best 5-card hand using their own two personal cards and the community cards.

When playing poker, it is important to be aware of the tells that other players may display. These are unconscious habits that can give away information about a person’s strength of hand. This can include a change in posture, eye contact or facial expressions. A good poker player will be able to read the tells of his or her opponents and use them to his advantage.

The first player to act in each round of betting is the person to the left of the dealer, whose position is indicated by a dealer chip. The dealer changes after each hand. The dealer chip is passed on to the next person at each stage of betting. There is a mandatory bet called a “blind” placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer.