Poker is a card game played by a group of players. The game involves betting between hands and the player with the best hand wins. The game is often based on reading other players, and there are many techniques that can be used to achieve this. Many books are dedicated to the subject and players usually come up with their own approach after some detailed self-examination or by discussing their play with others.

The cards are dealt to each player and once everyone has their two cards they can choose to fold, call or raise. A raise means that you are putting the same amount of money into the pot as your opponent did, so you have to either beat or tie their hand. If you have a strong poker hand then you should try to do this, as it can improve your chances of winning the pot.

A pair is a two cards of matching rank and three unrelated side cards. A high card breaks ties when more than one person has the same pair. A flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight is four consecutive cards of the same rank. A full house is three connected pairs and an ace.

Poker is played from a standard pack of 52 cards, although some games may add wild cards to increase the potential for a winning hand. The most common hands include a pair, a flush, a full house, and a straight.