Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money) into the pot when it is their turn to act. The object of the game is to win the pot, which occurs when a player has a hand that beats all other hands in the pot. A player may also choose to not place any chips in the pot; this is known as folding.
The rules of poker are based on the game of chance, with a small percentage of skill involved. The best way to learn the game is to play it often and study the way other players play. There are many techniques to improve your game, including learning about tells, which are signals that other players give off to show their feelings about the strength of their hand. For example, if a player stalls and then makes a large raise, they are likely to have a strong hand.
Each round begins with a single player, designated by the rules of the variant being played, placing chips into the pot. Then the cards are dealt in a clockwise direction, beginning with the player to the left of the dealer. The last player to place chips into the pot wins the round.
After each deal, the players reveal their hands. Each player then has the option to stay in the pot by placing a number of chips into the pot equal to the total stake made by the player to his or her right.