Whether you play poker at a casino, home game or tournament, you will use chips to represent dollar amounts during a hand. Poker chip colors generally represent different denominations, with black chips worth $100 in most casinos. Tournaments often require higher-denomination chips that may bear the name of the event or host.

The rank of suits from highest to lowest is spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. Counting the cards in your hand is not permitted, as doing so would devalue your own hands. Your hands are only as good as the cards in other players’ hands. A card that hits the board and improves another player’s hand is called a “counterfeit.”

To be eligible to place a bet, you must first raise your own chips in a single motion. Then, you must wait for an opponent to raise before raising again. If you raise multiple times in a row, it is called a string bet.

Poker is a game of skill, but luck will always be a factor. The best way to maximize your winnings is to make small bets and call big bets only when the odds are in your favor.

In addition to being a fun and exciting game, poker is also a serious business. You need to be well-versed in the rules to avoid making mistakes that could cost you your hard-earned money. It is your responsibility to speak up when you see an error at the table. If you can’t solve the problem on your own, it is the dealer’s job to step in and fix the mistake before awarding the pot.