Poker is a card game played by two or more players. The aim is to form a winning hand based on the card rankings and win the pot at the end of each betting round. The pot is the aggregate of all bets placed. During the first betting round players can either check, call or raise.
In this phase of the game you can also choose to fold your cards if you believe that they aren’t strong enough. Once everyone has acted they will then bet again and the person with the best hand wins the pot.
The dealer then deals three more cards in the middle of the table, these are known as community cards and anyone can use them. After this another betting round takes place and the player to their left acts again. If they think their hand is strong enough they can say “raise” and put more money in the pot.
One of the keys to becoming a good poker player is to be able to read the other players. This is done through observing body language and knowing the basic tells of other players. It’s also important to always play smart and not get too attached to certain hands. For example pocket kings can be made into a bad hand if an ace appears on the flop. If this happens you will need to bluff or be careful. If you can make people fear a certain type of hand then they will fold when it is your turn to act, this will allow you to bet at a higher value.