Poker is a card game that can be played with two to eight players and involves betting. There are many variations of the game, but the basic rules are the same in all. Each player has a fixed number of chips that they place into the pot before each hand. This is called the ante, blind or bring-in. The game can also be played in a tournament format, where players have to raise a certain amount of money before being dealt cards.

One of the hardest things for people to learn in poker is that luck plays a huge role. It’s a hard lesson for people to accept because it seems like the game should be a meritocracy—that if you work hard, you deserve to win. But in reality, a little bit of luck is all it takes to get ahead.

Even if you know all the odds, it’s still difficult to beat the game. That’s because poker isn’t just about knowing probabilities—it’s about calibrating your beliefs. It’s a brutal lesson that most people never master. It’s easy to see why: It’s hard for anyone to admit that they might be wrong about something, especially in a situation where there is money on the line.

But learning to read tells is essential for any serious poker player, and it’s a skill that can help you improve your decisions outside the game as well. The key is to become comfortable with the idea that it’s okay to be wrong sometimes.