Poker is a card game of chance in which players wager on the strength of their hand against other players. Each player is dealt two cards which only they can see and use. Five community cards are then introduced throughout the hand, which everyone can use in a variety of ways to make a poker hand. The best hand wins the pot, which consists of all bets made on that hand. Players can also win by bluffing, betting that they have the best hand when in fact they do not.
Before the deal, each player puts in a mandatory bet called a blind bet, which is then placed into a central pot. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them one at a time to each player, starting with the seat to their left. The cards can be dealt face up or down, depending on the variant of poker being played.
Once all players have their two initial cards, a round of betting begins. This betting round continues during the introduction of each subsequent community card. Bets can be raised or re-raised in each round.
When it’s your turn to bet, you can say ‘call’ to bet the same amount as the person before you, or you can raise their previous bet (called a raise). There are many other verbal and non-verbal ways to convey what you’re doing – for example, tapping on the table can mean that you’re checking, and simply sliding your cards to the dealer face-down without saying anything essentially means that you’re folding.
