Poker is a card game where players place wagers and try to win the pot by having the highest ranked poker hand. Although it starts out as a pure game of chance, when betting comes into play the game becomes much more skill-based and psychological.
To begin each round of poker, each player must ante some amount of money (the amount varies by game) into the middle of the table. Once everyone has antesd, cards are dealt and then the first round of betting begins.
A player may call, raise or fold a hand at any time during the betting rounds. If a player decides to call and has a strong enough hand they can push other players out of the pot and potentially take the entire pot for themselves.
Once the betting is done in one round a fourth card, called the flop, is dealt to the board face up. The flop is then the object of another round of betting and once it’s over a fifth card, called the river, is dealt face up. This is the final opportunity for the players to bet and then once the betting is over the highest ranked poker hand wins the pot.
A key to winning poker is reading your opponents. This doesn’t necessarily mean looking for subtle physical tells like scratching an itch or playing nervously with your chips, but instead examining their betting habits and learning their patterns. For example if a player is calling a lot of bets but then makes a big raise it’s likely they have a strong hand and you should call their bet.