Poker is a card game that’s played by players from all over the world. The goal is to beat other players’ hands and win the pot, which is the total amount of money put into the betting pool for each hand.

The game begins with the dealer, who shuffles and cuts the deck. Each player gets one card from the pack, ranked (from high to low) as Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. The suits are spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs.

Once the cards have been dealt, each player must decide if they want to “open,” which is to place an initial bet, or “check,” which means that they don’t want to make a bet. In most cases, the dealer will open first, and players must check or “call” to match it.

Calling is a way to add more money into the betting pool by making a bet that matches what was recently placed. When calling, you must say “call” or “I call.”

You can also raise your bet if you have a strong hand, which forces weaker hands out of the pot and increases the value of your hand. However, be careful not to make your opponents aware of your hand if you want to bluff them.

Poker is a game of skill and chance, but it can be a lot more fun to play when you have a bit of strategy involved. To play poker well, it’s important to understand the rules, learn how to read other players, and keep an eye out for “tells” that can tell you what a player is holding.