Poker is a card game in which players place chips into a “pot” in order to make a hand. The higher your hand is ranked, the more money you win. There are a variety of different poker games, but most are played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Some games also use additional cards known as jokers or wild cards.
During a round of betting, players have the option to check (pass on betting), call (put chips into the pot that your opponents must match) or raise (bet more than the player before you). The dealer then deals three cards face up onto the board. These are community cards that anyone can use. The flop is followed by an additional card called the turn and then a final card known as the river. The player with the best five card poker hand wins the pot.
Playing a solid hand is important, but you also need to be able to read your opponent and use bluffing to your advantage. Stronger players see weaker hands as easy pickings, and will shove you around the table if you play too cautiously.
A huge part of your poker strategy is knowing what hands beat what, so study a few charts before you start playing. Then when the time comes to battle an opponent it will be a little easier for you to understand their actions and figure out what they are trying to accomplish.