Poker is a card game in which players place bets on the strength of their hands. It requires a great deal of mental fortitude, as the outcome does not always reflect your skill level. In this way, it is a bit like life, where you can do everything right, and still end up getting burned by the elements of chance.

To play poker, you’ll need a deck of cards and some chips. You’ll also need to know the rules of the game, which can differ slightly depending on the variation you play.

In most cases, you’ll start a hand by placing an ante (a bet placed before the dealing of cards). Then, when it’s your turn, you can either call (match the last player’s bet) or check (pass on your turn).

If you have a strong poker hand, you can continue to raise your bets as other players fold theirs. This will grow the pot until it’s time for the players to show their hands. The best hand wins the pot.

Typically, the strongest hands are straights and flushes. Straights are 5 consecutive cards of the same rank, while flushes contain 3 or more matching cards. Other hands include one pair, two pairs, and three of a kind. Note that suits do not rank in poker, so a pair of Jacks beats a pair of Kings. Tie hands are decided by the ranking of the fifth card. If the fifth card is the same, then the tied hands split the pot.