The game of poker can be a lot of fun, especially if you know the rules and how to play your cards. But, to be a good poker player you need to learn how to read your opponent’s moves and the strength of their hand.

The basic game of poker involves getting a set number of cards and betting over a series of rounds until a player has the best five-card hand. The player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot. If there is a tie, the tied players share the winnings.

Each player starts the game with two cards, which they keep hidden from other players. These are known as hole cards. The rest of the cards are dealt in stages: three cards, called the flop, an additional card called the turn, and then a single final card, called the river. Between each stage, there is a round of betting where players can raise or call the current bet.

A high ranking poker hand consists of 5 cards that are either in consecutive rank or in sequence (for example, 3-4-5-6-7-8) and are all of the same suit. A flush is a combination of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A straight is a combination of 5 cards that skip around in rank but are all of the same suit. A pair is two cards of the same rank and another unmatched card.