Poker is a card game that involves betting between players. It has many different variants and rules, but the basics are important to understand before you start playing. It’s best to begin at lower stakes so that you can practice your skills and gain confidence without risking too much money. You can also experiment with strategies and learn from your mistakes without feeling too financially pressured.

When you’re new to poker, it can be helpful to have a poker coach to help you learn the game. They can teach you how to read other players’ behavior and pick up on subtle physical poker tells that can give away your strength or weakness. They can also help you develop a strategy and improve your decision-making process. In addition, they can help you set goals for each practice session and monitor your progress using hand history tracking software.

A round of betting in poker begins when each player puts in an amount, called an ante, into the pot. When a player wants to stay in the hand, they can call (match the amount of the last raise) or raise again (called re-raising). If you don’t want to stay in the hand, you can fold.

When the betting is complete, players reveal their cards and the highest-ranking hand wins the pot of chips. You can also choose to draw replacement cards if you’re unhappy with your current ones, but this isn’t common. Depending on the rules of your poker game, you may have to share your winnings with other players.