The game of poker is a card game in which players place bets on the outcome of a hand. It involves a significant amount of chance, but it is also possible to increase your chances of winning by using skills and tactics such as reading your opponents, managing your bankroll, and playing fewer hands more aggressively.

The first step to learning poker is familiarizing yourself with the rules. Once you understand the rules, it is important to understand how position can influence your success in the game. Players who are in early positions have less information about the strength of other players’ hands and might be raised or re-raised more often than those in later position. Conversely, players who are in late position can use their knowledge of how other players’ bets have evolved to steal money from the pot by raising a raise themselves.

Once the cards are dealt, each player has a choice to call the current bet (match it), raise it (raise), or fold their hand. When a player is all-in, they have to either match or exceed the highest bet made at the table in order to stay in the pot.

Then, when everyone is finished betting and flipping over their cards, the player with the best hand wins the pot. If there is a tie between players, the pot is split evenly.