Poker is a card game played between two or more players. It is a game of chance and skill, where winning requires being willing to stick with your plan even when you want to make a bad call or bluff. It also requires a certain amount of patience to weather the occasional bad beat, which is a normal part of the game.

Each player is dealt two cards and then places a bet. The person to the left of the dealer then has the option to put in a bet equal to or higher than the previous player’s bet (call), raise the current bet, or push their cards face down to the table without putting any chips into the pot (fold).

A winning hand is comprised of five cards of consecutive rank, or a pair with two matching cards, or three of a kind. The highest pair wins the pot, followed by a flush, and then a straight.

Top players will often fast-play their strong hands, which means they will raise their bets early in a hand and chase off other players who might have a better hand than theirs. This can help them build the pot and earn more money. When deciding whether to play a hand, you should always balance the odds of making a good hand against the pot odds and your expected return on investment. This is why a good rule to remember when playing poker is “never limp.”