Poker is a card game played by a group of people around a table. The object of the game is to win a “pot,” which consists of all the bets placed by all players during one hand. This is accomplished by having the highest ranked hand when all the cards are revealed at the end of the betting round. Players place bets with chips that represent money. Players may raise, call or fold their bets in turn. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

There are many different forms of poker. The basic rules are the same for all of them, though. The game begins with each player placing a forced bet (the ante or blind bet). After that, the dealer shuffles the cards and deals them to the players one at a time starting with the person on his right. Depending on the poker variant, the cards may be dealt face up or face down. Once the cards have been dealt, the first of several betting rounds begins.

In the simplest form of poker, only five cards are used to make a hand. Ranks of hands are determined by their mathematical frequency, with higher-ranked hands being more rare than lower-ranked ones.

Some players also use verbal and nonverbal cues to help them analyze their opponents’ hands. These are called tells and can include eye contact, facial expressions and body language. For example, when a player changes his posture or gestures, this can indicate that he has a good hand.