Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money) into a pot during betting rounds. Betting is done in a clockwise manner and the highest hand wins the pot. The game has an element of chance but it also involves a great deal of psychology and skill.

In the early stages of a hand, players will often fold their cards and not place any money into the pot. This is known as a “call”. When your opponent makes a call, it’s important to understand why they are doing this and how you can use their aggression against them.

Once each player has two hole cards, a round of betting takes place. Players may either call the bet or raise it. If they raise it, the person to their left must do the same in order to remain in the pot.

The highest hand in poker is a Royal flush, which consists of an Ace, King, Queen and Jack of the same suit. If more than one player has a Royal flush, the higher card wins (five aces beats five kings, for example). Other high hands include three of a kind (2 matching cards of the same rank) and four of a kind (3 of the same rank and 3 other unmatched cards). Other low hands include two pair and a high card. The goal is to win the most amount of money possible. This is done by betting with strong value hands and calling re-raises from late positions with weaker hands.