The game of poker is played by two or more players and consists of forming the best possible hand based on the cards you have, in order to win the pot (the sum total of bets made during a deal). Unlike most card games, poker involves incomplete information, meaning that your opponents can only guess about the strength of your hand. This creates an opportunity to send signals about your strength or weakness through the way you play your hands, so every check, call, raise or fold is an attempt to give away bits of information and to construct a story about your opponent.

The rules of poker vary between different forms of the game, but the fundamental principles are the same: Players make betting decisions based on probability and psychology, while attempting to gain an advantage over other players. Each player has to place a number of chips into the pot, or forced bets, in accordance with the game’s rules before the cards are dealt. These bets are often known as the antes, blinds and bring-ins.

After the players have placed their initial bets, the community cards are dealt in stages: three, referred to as the flop, and then an additional single card, called the turn. A final card, referred to as the river, is then added to the board. The winner of the pot is the player with the highest-ranked poker hand at the end of the betting round. The rank of the poker hand is determined by its highest card, and ties are broken by looking at the second highest card, then third, etc.