Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It is a game of chance, but it also requires skill and understanding of the other players. Players place bets and then show their cards. The player with the best hand wins the pot. Players can also bluff by betting that they have a good hand when they don’t. This can win them money if the other players call their bets.

To make a bet, you say “call” or “I call” to place the same amount of chips in the pot as the person who placed the last bet. You can also raise your bet by saying “raise” or “I raise”. If you don’t want to match the last person’s bet, you can fold and not play a hand.

There are many different variants of poker, but all of them have the same basic rules. Each player is dealt two cards face down. Five community cards are then dealt, forming a flop, turn, and river. The aim is to create a high-ranking poker hand by combining the two personal cards and the five community cards. Some people try to maximise their chances of winning by avoiding risk, but this can lead to missing opportunities where moderate risk could yield a large reward. A common strategy is to keep a note of the other players’ bets and compare them to your own. This allows you to identify conservative players and aggressive players.