Poker is a card game in which players wager on the strength of their hand. Different games have varying rules, but all involve betting in some form or another and a showdown at the end of each round. A significant amount of money can be put into a pot during the course of a single hand, and players will often make decisions based on probability, psychology and game theory rather than pure chance.
The game of poker has many variations, but it usually involves two personal cards in your hand and five community cards on the table. There is a mandatory bet (called the ante) placed into the pot by 2 players before any action can take place, and a second set of cards is then dealt face up followed by a betting round.
A good poker player will be able to read the other players at the table and understand how they are betting. Many players use subtle physical tells such as scratching their nose, or playing nervously with their chips, but the most useful information can come from patterns of behavior. For example, if a player calls every raise and then folds all of the time then they must be holding very strong cards.
A crucial part of poker is position. If you are first to act in a hand then you are in Early Position and will probably get raised or re-raised more frequently. Similarly, if you are last to act then you can usually steal the blind bets if you know how to play your cards well.