Poker is a card game where players place bets on the cards they have in their hands. The player who has the highest ranked hand wins all of the money in the pot. While poker does contain a certain amount of strategy, the majority of the game is based on luck and chance.

To begin the game, all players are dealt two cards that they can only use to form a poker hand. Throughout the hand, five community cards are brought to the table that all players can use. It is the strongest combination of your two cards and the community cards that determines whose hand is best.

During the betting phase, each player has the option to raise or call. When a player calls, they make a bet that is equal to the amount raised by the previous player. Players can also fold during this phase if they do not think their hand is strong enough to win the pot.

When deciding whether to raise or call, it is important to understand your opponent’s ranges. This means going through all of the possible hands that your opponent could have and working out how likely it is that they will hold a hand that beats yours. This will help you decide how much to raise or call and when to make your move. Using this approach will ensure that you are playing your strongest value hands in the most profitable way.