Poker is a card game in which players wager money to win the pot. Each player puts in a small amount of money, called an ante, before being dealt cards. The highest hand wins the pot. Players may also raise their bets during a round of betting. Several strategies can help improve your poker game, including reading tells, the unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand.
The earliest record of the game of Poker dates from the late 16th century, when it was played in France and England under various names. It is believed that General Schenck, the American ambassador to Britain, brought the game into English society in 1872 after being persuaded by friends at a weekend retreat to teach them the game.
To play Poker, you must first ante up some amount of money, which is put into the pot by the two players to the left of the button (a spot in the circle where the action begins each time). Then you are dealt 2 cards and there’s a round of betting, with each player in turn raising the bet if they want to. You can also “check” if you don’t want to bet.
The highest poker hand is the royal flush, consisting of four matching cards of the same rank in a single suit. The next highest is a straight, which contains 5 consecutive cards of the same rank in one suit. A pair consists of two cards of the same rank and another unmatched card.