Poker is a game of cards that pits players against each other. The best hand wins the pot. Players must first ante some amount (the amount varies by game) and then receive their cards. After everyone has their cards they place bets into the middle and the highest hand wins the pot.
One of the key skills of a good poker player is being able to read his or her opponents. This skill isn’t as simple as noticing facial expressions or body language, but involves watching how they move their chips and cards during a hand. It also means knowing how to spot tells, which are often more obvious in live games where people can’t hide their emotions so well.
When a player’s chips are in the middle, they have the option to discard their current cards and take new ones from the top of the deck. This is called a “re-raise.” This is a good way to strengthen your hand and potentially win the pot.
After the betting round is complete the dealer puts three more cards on the table that anyone can use, which is called the “flop.” The strongest hand is a full house, consisting of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank plus a pair. A flush contains 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight contains 5 cards that skip around in rank or sequence, but are from more than one suit.