Poker is a card game played by two or more players and involves betting. The objective is to have the best five-card hand at the end of the hand. A hand consists of any combination of cards of equal rank (pair, three of a kind, straight, flush, and so on). There are also wild cards in some games which can take the place of any suit and can have different values.

Some people play safe and only play when they have a good hand, but this is not the way to make money in poker – you need to bet on losing hands to maximise your winnings. The best way to do this is by bluffing your opponents and putting them on the back foot before they have a strong enough hand to raise.

There are many variants of poker, some more common than others, but they all have a lot in common. They all have a pot, a bet, and a showdown where the remaining players reveal their hands. The player with the best hand wins the pot of money.

The smallest poker tournaments are known as locals, or weeklies. These events are often held in card shops, bars, community centers, and universities and are the place most new players start out in the competitive scene. These tournaments are low cost and often run weekly, which makes them a great place to hone your skills before joining bigger events.