Poker is a card game in which players place chips into the pot based on the value of their hand and the strength of their opponent’s hand. The game has a great deal of chance, but the best players make decisions based on probability, psychology, and game theory.

Each player begins the round by placing one or more chips into the pot. When it is your turn, you can either call (match the previous player’s bet) or raise the stakes by betting more. You can also “drop” (fold) your hand and forfeit the betting round.

To succeed at poker, you must be able to read your opponents and pick up on their tells. Unlike at the casino, where your opponent may fiddle with their hands or put on a ring, online poker players must be observant of physical actions and other behaviors to determine how strong an opponent’s hand is.

In the early stages of a poker game, it is often wise to play conservatively and open with a strong hand. As the game progresses, it becomes more profitable to bet and raise with good hands and to fold weak ones. By doing so, you can accumulate a large amount of money and become a major threat to the other players at the table. The game was originally developed in the sixteenth century as a bluffing game in Germany, and evolved into its current form around the time of the American Revolution.