Poker is a card game that has millions of fans worldwide. It can be played in cash games and tournaments. It has a long history, with a wide variety of rules and strategies. It can also teach valuable skills, including patience and strategic thinking. It can also be a good way to practice money management. It is important to know when to call or fold, and to be able to read other players’ behavior.

There are many different types of poker, but all of them share some basic similarities. All of them involve betting, and they are usually played with chips. Each player starts with a set amount of chips, which are generally worth the same value. For example, a white chip is worth one unit of the minimum ante or bet; a red chip is worth five whites; and a blue chip is worth 10 or 20 whites.

The goal of poker is to have the best hand at the end of the round. The player with the best hand wins the pot, which is the sum of all bets made in that round. Sometimes a player may have more than one good hand, in which case the pot is split between them.

The ranking of a poker hand is determined by its probability (or mathematical frequency). Normally, the higher the probability, the higher the rank. However, ties can occur in some situations, and a higher unmatched pair beats a lower matched one.