Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Usually it is played from a standard pack of 52 cards, though some variant games use multiple packs and/or add cards called jokers. Cards are ranked in order from high to low (Ace, King, Queen, Jack) and there are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs). Each player must place an initial amount into the pot before the cards are dealt. This is called the ante, blind, or bring-in and may be mandatory depending on the rules of your game.

When the betting comes around to you, you can call the bet, raise it, or fold your hand. A raise means that you believe that you have a strong hand, a call means that you have a weak one, and folding means that you drop out of the competition for the pot.

The goal of the game is to win the “pot,” which consists of all bets made during a hand. You can do this by having the highest hand, or by making a bet that no other player calls. If you have a strong hand, you can also win the pot by bluffing. To do this, you must watch for tells, which are body language signals that reveal an opponent’s thoughts. These include a hand over the mouth, nostril flaring, blinking excessively, and an increased pulse in the neck or temple. These can indicate that a player is nervous and therefore bluffing.