Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It is a game of chance, but it also involves skill, psychology and strategy. The aim of the game is to win a pot, which is the sum total of all bets made during a hand. A player can win the pot by forming a high-ranking poker hand or by bluffing.

The game is played from a standard 52-card deck (though some variant games use multiple packs or add jokers). Cards are ranked from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 7, 6, 4, 3 and 2. The highest hand wins the pot. If more than one hand has the same rank, a higher card breaks the tie.

During the course of a hand, the players place chips into the pot (representing money) by voluntarily raising or checking their hands. The action continues until all players have folded or all but the winner have placed all their chips into the pot.

A good poker player must be able to read the other players. This can be done by analyzing the frequency and range of their actions preflop, on the flop and post-flop. This information can then be used to form an estimation of the strength of a given hand. It can also be useful in deciding whether to call or fold a particular hand when it is exposed. In addition, a good poker player must be able to disguise their own hand strength by using deception, such as a tell, or even by semi-bluffing, in which they bet strongly on a weak hand hoping to induce other players to fold superior hands.