Poker is a card game that involves betting between two or more players. A player wins the pot (the total amount of money bet during a round) when they have the best hand at the end of the game. Generally, each player has one or more poker chips that they use to make bets during the game. The most common chip is a white one, which represents the unit, or lowest-valued, bet; other colored chips represent higher amounts.

The first thing to remember about Poker is that it is a game of chance, and luck can swing either way. Keeping this in mind will help you develop a winning strategy that combines both skill and intuition. The more you play and watch other people play, the better your instincts will become.

During a Poker game, the players act in rotation and take turns to bet. The person acting in the early position is at a disadvantage because they have less information about their opponent’s actions than the other players at the table. In the later positions, the players have more information about their opponents’ betting and raising ranges and can adjust accordingly.

A common mistake of beginners is to show their hands while playing, but this can give information about the strength of their hand to the other players at the table. The general rule is to never show your hand unless you have to. Professionals are adept at extracting signal from noise across multiple channels, including physical cues, and using that information to both exploit their opponents and protect themselves.