Poker is a card game that involves chance and some psychology, but it also requires strategy. Some players have even written whole books about their strategies, but the most important thing to remember is that you have to be able to read the other players at your table. This means watching their body language and paying attention to what they do with their hands, not only to make sure that you don’t get caught with a weak hand but also to spot tells about other player’s cards.

When you play poker there are many different ways to bet, but most games start with a small amount of money being placed into the pot, called a blind or an ante. Once everyone has antes in the pot, they are dealt cards. Each player then has the opportunity to call, raise or fold their cards. After betting rounds are completed a fifth card is revealed and the highest poker hand wins the pot.

There are several different types of poker hands, but the most common is a pair. A pair of cards of the same rank is considered a strong hand because it’s hard for other players to beat yours with their own pair of cards. You can also have a straight, which is a sequence of cards in order, or a flush, which has three of the same cards in a row. High card breaks ties when no one has a pair or better.