A card game that requires a good amount of skill and strategy to win. Most forms of poker have at least two players, but can be played with as many as 14. The object of the game is to form a hand that ranks high based on card values and to win the pot at the end of each betting round. The pot is the sum of all bets placed by all players.

In most games, all players must put up a small initial amount of money (the ante) before they are dealt cards. Then, when betting comes around to you, you can either call the bet placed by the player before you or raise it. Usually, raising is a better option since it forces the other players to think twice about calling your bet, and may make them fold.

If you have a strong hand, you should bet aggressively. This will force the other players to fold and increase the value of your hand. It’s also good to play in position, because you can control how much your opponent puts into the pot.

Another key to success in poker is learning the tells of other players. Look for things like a player’s eye movements, idiosyncrasies, hand gestures and betting patterns. It will help you figure out if they are holding an excellent hand, or bluffing. Being able to identify when a player is bluffing will save you a lot of money in the long run!