Poker is a card game where players place chips (representing money) into the pot prior to dealing the cards. These forced bets are called antes, blinds, or bring-ins and vary according to the rules of the game. Once the cards are dealt each player makes a decision to call, raise, or fold their hand. A good hand consists of five consecutive cards of the same suit or a flush. A straight consists of five cards that skip around in rank but don’t change suits. A full house is three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank.

To be successful in poker, you need to think about your opponent’s range of hands. Beginners often focus on a particular hand and try to play against it, but this approach is rarely successful. Rather, advanced players think in terms of an opponent’s entire range of hands and are able to put together a plan for winning against it.

Position is also a key factor in poker. Early positions are tight and should be played very selectively, whereas late positions allow you to control the pot on later betting streets by raising and re-raising with a wider range of hands. This is why it’s important to practice and watch experienced players, observing how they react to different situations. Over time, you’ll develop quick instincts and be able to predict how other players will play their hands.

While you’re learning to play poker, it’s important to gamble only with money that you can afford to lose. You don’t want to lose more than you planned on losing, so track your wins and losses to get an idea of how much you’re winning or losing. As you become more skilled at poker, you can increase your stakes to make more money but be sure to stay within your limits.

When it’s your turn to act, you can say “check” if you don’t want to match the last player’s bet or raise more than they did. You can also say “call” to match the previous player’s raise and stay in the round. Alternatively, you can say “fold” to forfeit your hand and leave the table. The other players must then choose whether to continue playing the round or fold.