Poker is a card game where players compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by all players (the pot). It requires skill, calculation, and the ability to read opponents’ actions and tells. Players must weigh their chances of winning against the amount that they are risking to make a decision.
Depending on the rules, one or more players are required to place an initial amount into the pot before the cards are dealt, called forced bets. These come in the form of antes and blinds, sometimes both. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to the players, starting with the player to their left.
The first two cards each player receive, known as hole cards, are then compared with the community cards that are dealt in three stages: a series of three cards, known as the flop, and a single final card, referred to as the river. The highest five-card hand wins the pot. Tie hands are broken down into pairs, three-of-a-kind, straights, and flushes.
Every action you take during a round of poker conveys information to your opponents. Your fold, call, check, and raise all give the other players clues about your strength or weakness. You can use these clues to predict what your opponents may have in their hands, and then bet accordingly.