Poker is a card game in which players wager chips. The game can be played by two or more players and has many variants. A player may choose to call a bet, raise it or drop it. A player who calls a bet must place chips into the pot equal to or greater than the amount placed in it by the player before him.
In most forms of poker, the object is to win the pot, which is the total amount of bets made during a betting interval. The pot is won either by having the best poker hand or by making a bet that no other players call. In some forms of poker, additional bets may also be placed in side pots, which are separate from the main pot.
The first step in becoming a better poker player is to learn the basic rules and understand the game’s dynamics. The next step is to practice and study the tactics of experienced players. This will allow you to adopt effective strategies and avoid common pitfalls.
A successful poker player must be able to read his opponents and exploit his weaknesses. One of the most important skills is understanding ranges, which are a player’s expected odds of having a given hand against an opponent’s. An experienced poker player will look at the full selection of possible hands an opponent could have and then work out how likely it is that he has a given hand in this set.