Poker is a card game played between two or more people, with the aim of making a winning hand by ranking cards according to their value. The winner claims the pot, which is the sum of all bets placed by players at the table. The game is played quickly and players often place high bets when they have a strong hand, hoping to make their opponents fold.

A good poker strategy depends on a mix of factors, including reading and studying other players’ behavior. Studying other players’ habits can help you learn how to read their body language and tells, which can be key in identifying bluffs. It’s also important to understand the basic rules of the game, as well as etiquette, such as not disrupting the other players or the dealer.

To play poker, each player must start with a set number of cards. These cards are then shuffled and passed around the table in sets, depending on the type of poker you’re playing. Players then use these cards to form a poker hand, and each player can choose whether to call, raise or check.

There are many different poker hands, but the most common are three of a kind, straight, flush and pair. A three of a kind consists of cards that rank the same, while a straight consists of five consecutive card values in more than one suit. A pair consists of two cards that rank the same, and the higher the pair, the better the hand.