Poker is an international card game of strategy and chance. There are countless variants of the game, but the best players share several common traits: Patience, reading other players, adaptability, and developing strategies. These skills are honed through repeated self-examination and detailed discussion with other players.
Each player is dealt five cards, and his or her hand ranks according to the highest possible combination of those cards. Players may raise or fold, and each player may bluff. A winning hand beats all other hands in the pot. Typically, the highest possible hand is five of a kind (five aces, for example).
Some poker games have a dealer, who deals each round and enforces certain betting rules. Often this is a non-player, but it can also be another player. The dealer is indicated by a special chip that each player passes to a new dealer after every round.
A player may also choose to bet all of his or her chips. This is known as all-in. This can result in a larger than usual pot and is sometimes done for strategic reasons.
A good poker player must be able to read other players and their body language. There are many poker tells, including trembling hands, head or shoulder tilting, and eye movements. Players should also look for signs of stress, such as a sudden change in voice tone or a tense face. These poker tells can be misleading, but are important to track.