Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money) into the pot based on an action they believe has positive expected value. The outcome of a particular hand significantly involves luck, but long-run expectations are determined by strategic choices made on the basis of probability, psychology and game theory.
Two to seven players can play poker, although the best games are played by five or six people. A standard 52-card English deck is used, with one or more jokers or wild cards sometimes added. In most variants of poker, a player must make a bet during each betting interval. The amount that a player must place into the pot is specified by the rules of the specific game being played.
The goal is to form a winning poker hand consisting of your two personal cards and the community cards revealed on the table in three stages, namely a series of three cards called the flop, an additional single card known as the turn and a final card called the river. If you have a high-ranked pair, a flush or a straight, your winnings will be significant.
A key strategy is to learn the tells of your opponents (their eye movements, idiosyncrasies, betting behavior etc). A player who calls all bets may not have a good hand, but if they suddenly raise a lot of bets you can infer that they probably have something special. The ability to read your opponents is the most valuable skill in poker, but it takes time and practice.
