Poker is a card game that can be played with two or more players. It is almost always played with poker chips, which represent money. A white chip is worth the minimum ante, and other colors represent increasing amounts of money. In the game, a player has the right and obligation to make one or more bets during each betting interval. A player may call a bet by putting into the pot the amount of chips required to make it; raise (add more than the previous player); or drop (fold).
The rules for poker vary from variant to variant, but most games are similar. The aim of the game is to create a poker hand from your two personal cards and the five community cards on the table. A winning hand must contain a combination of ranks and suits. A straight is a sequence of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit; a flush is three or more cards of the same rank and of the same suit; and a pair is two matching cards of different ranks.
The key to winning poker is reading your opponents. This is a difficult task, but it is essential to success. It is not just about subtle physical poker tells, such as scratching your nose or playing nervously with your chips; it is about noticing patterns in how they play and behave. Practice and watch experienced players to develop your instincts. This is better than trying to memorize and apply a complex system.