Poker is a card game in which players place bets into a pot using poker chips based on how good they think their cards are. The game can be played by two to 14 people, although the ideal number is six to seven. Each player has two private cards that they keep hidden from the other players, as well as five community cards that are placed face up on the table for all to use. The goal is to win the pot, which is the aggregate of all bets made in any deal. The pot may be won either by having the highest-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. The following principles apply to nearly all forms of poker.

A player’s bet must match the last bet or raise in order to remain in the hand. Depending on the rules of the specific poker variant being played, this can be done by saying “call” (to make a bet equal to the last one) or by placing the same amount of chips in the pot as the person before you did (to raise the bet).

Observing a player’s body language and other tells is important for learning how to read the game. Some of the most common tells include a player’s breathing, blinking, flaring nostrils, swallowing excessively, eyes watering, a hand over the mouth, or an increasing pulse seen in the neck or temple. A player who has a strong hand will usually be calm and confident. A player who is bluffing will be nervous and tense.