Poker is a card game where players bet with chips that they have put into the pot. The player with the best five-card hand wins the entire pot. Sometimes the pot is split between multiple hands that are considered better than the winner’s hand.
A player can choose to call, raise or fold. When she calls, she must place chips into the pot equal to or higher than the amount of money that has already been placed into the pot (called the blinds). If she raises, she must place a bet double the amount of the current highest bet. If she folds, she gives up the hand and does not place any chips into the pot.
When the betting round has ended, players reveal their cards. The hand with the highest value wins the pot. The cards can be a single suit or a mixed suit. If the cards are all of the same suit, this is called a Straight. If there is no Straight, a player with the best single-card hand wins.
The key to success in poker is to learn to read your opponent. A good way to do this is by working out a range of hands that your opponent could have and estimating the likelihood that their hand will beat yours. This technique is called reading your opponent. Another key is to play with a moderate amount of risk; playing it safe means missing out on the large rewards that can be obtained from a well-timed bluff.