Poker is a card game that can be played by two or more players. A player makes a bet and each player in turn must call the bet or raise it. Players may also bluff, betting that they have a superior hand when in fact they do not, to force other players into folding. The goal of the game is to form a winning hand, called a pot, consisting of five cards. The value of a hand is in inverse proportion to its mathematical frequency; a highly unusual combination of cards will rank higher than a more common one.

A successful poker player needs to be able to read the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents. This means knowing what type of hands they will be holding and how likely it is that they have a strong hand. Inexperienced players will try to put an opponent on a specific hand, but more experienced players will work out the range of hands that their opponents could hold and play accordingly.

Top players will fast-play their strong hands and bet often in order to build the pot and chase off other players waiting for a draw. This is important because it can allow you to get a lot of money from your opponent if they are making weak calls that can be easily bluffed. Conversely, weak players will check with mediocre or drawing hands and you can exploit them by raising aggressively and taking advantage of their mistakes.