Poker is a card game in which players bet in turns, raising or re-raising as they choose, with the object of winning a pot (the sum of all bets made in any one deal) by having the highest ranking poker hand. Although much of poker is based on chance, it also involves strategic decisions that are often influenced by psychology and game theory.

There are many different poker games and variations. Some are played with two or more cards, while others use five. In most cases, poker is played with chips that have specific values assigned to them prior to the start of the game. The lowest value chip is usually a white chip, and the most expensive chip is a blue one.

A good poker player will pay close attention to their opponents. Unlike other card games, where many of the reads come from subtle physical poker tells (such as scratching your nose or playing nervously with your chips), in poker, a lot of reads come from patterns. For example, if a player tends to call all bets then you can assume that they are probably playing pretty strong cards.

When it’s your turn to act, you say “call” if you want to make a bet equal to the last person’s raise. You then place your chips or cash in the pot. You can also check if you don’t want to bet any more and simply want to fold your hand.