Poker is a game of chance, but it can also be an exciting and challenging game of skill. To be successful at poker, you need several skills, including discipline and perseverance. You also need to make smart choices about your games, ensuring that you play the right limits and that you’re in the most profitable games. Finally, you need to learn how to read other players’ tells and adjust your strategy accordingly.

The first thing to know about poker is how the betting works. In most games, players buy in for a certain amount of chips. Each player then gets two cards. They can then decide to call the bets made by the people to their left, raise them or fold. At the end of each betting interval, the highest hand wins the pot.

A poker hand is a combination of three or more cards of the same rank, and/or two unmatched cards. A pair is two cards of the same rank, while a straight is five cards in consecutive ranks and a flush is five cards of the same suit.

Poker is played with chips, and the value of each chip varies by game. A white chip is worth a minimum of the game’s ante or bet; a black or dark-colored chip is typically worth ten whites. Players can purchase chips from the dealer, or they can bring their own. Most poker games are played with a minimum of seven players, but it is possible to play with fewer.