Poker is a card game played by two or more players. There are a number of different games of poker, but they all share some basic features. Each player puts in a mandatory bet (called blinds) before they are dealt cards. These bets go into a pot that is shared by all players and is used to fund the winner of each hand. Players may also raise the amount they bet by saying “raise.” Other players can choose to call the new bet or fold.

A poker hand consists of five cards and has a value in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency – the rarer the combination, the higher the hand rank. Each player’s goal is to win the pot by betting that they have a superior hand and making other players call or fold their hands. A player can also bluff by betting that they have a superior hand but do not actually have one, and they may win by other players calling their bluff.

A player’s body language and expressions can reveal information about their hand, which is known as a tell. However, because a tell can be so easily faked, it is not as important in low-bet poker as in high-bet games where the pot odds are much higher. A good poker player knows how to read their opponents’ tells and is able to make decisions accordingly. This skill is often referred to as poker psychology.