Poker is a card game where players make bets with the hopes of making a superior hand. A poker hand consists of five cards and is determined by its relative frequency in the pack, with more rare hands higher in rank than common ones. Players can also bluff by betting that they have the best hand and hoping that opponents will call their bet.

Each player places a number of chips into the pot in turn, called a “bet.” If someone calls that bet, they must match it or raise it. They can also drop their hand and quit the current round (a “fold”), which loses them any chips they have put into the pot.

Position is a big deal in poker because it gives you more information than your opponents when it’s your turn to act. This makes it easier to make accurate value bets. It also gives you a better chance to read your opponents, which is one of the keys to winning poker.

It’s important to learn when to fold a hand. A common mistake of new players is to assume that because they have already invested a lot of their chips into the hand, they might as well play it out and risk losing all their money. In reality, however, folding a hand is often the best way to protect your money.