Poker is a card game played by 2 or more players and where the object is to win the pot, which is the total of all bets placed during one hand. There are many different variations of poker, but they all share the same basic rules.

Before the cards are dealt, each player must place an amount of money into the pot (representing chips) equal to or greater than the bet made by the person to their left. This person is called the button and his position changes each hand, moving clockwise after each deal.

After the cards are dealt, each player shows their cards and the best hand wins the pot. A poker hand consists of five cards and must contain at least one pair (two cards of the same rank) and three unmatched cards.

When playing poker, it is important to study the body language of your opponents to find out what their tells are. A tell is something a player does without realizing it, and can be as simple as a change in posture or facial expression. Reading tells can help you improve your poker skills by giving you an edge over your opponents. However, it is important to remember that you should not rely solely on tellings because they are not always accurate. In addition, tellings are less effective in limit games because the odds of a good hand are higher than in high-bet games.