Poker is a card game that is played between 2 or more players. The object of the game is to assemble the highest valued hand of cards, traditionally for money or chips. This is done by betting against the other players in an attempt to get the best possible hand. It is also common to have rules about how the money won at a poker table is distributed when the game is over.

The game starts with each player placing a mandatory bet into the pot (representing money) before they receive their cards. This is called the ante. There are then one or more betting intervals, depending on the particular Poker variant. During these betting intervals, players must be careful to maximize their chances of winning by minimizing their losses with bad hands and maximizing their winnings with good ones.

When all players have revealed their hands, the high hand wins. If two hands are identical, the ranking of the next card decides which hand is higher. For example, a pair of sixes beats a single six and an eight.

Tournaments are a great way to meet new people in your area and find a regular group of players to play with. There are a variety of different types of tournaments, from small local events to huge multi-entry world-class competitions. The smaller, more frequent events are often referred to as ‘locals’ or ‘weeklies’ and are the place most new players start out to see what the competitive poker scene is all about.