Poker is a card game that is played with a small number of players around a table. The players bet on their hands, called a pot, until one player has all the chips or everyone else folds. Players can also bet on other people’s hands, which is called raising. Good players will mix up their betting and bluffing strategies to keep their opponents guessing what they have in their hands.
At the beginning of each round, players put a mandatory bet into the pot called the blinds. Then, 2 cards are dealt face down to each player (called their hole or pocket cards). A round of betting then starts with the player to the left of the dealer. If a player has a strong hand, they can raise and force weaker hands to fold. If they don’t have a strong hand, they can check (put no money into the pot).
When all players have raised, 3 more cards are dealt face up in the center of the table (called the flop). Then another round of betting begins with the player to the left of the dealer. The best 5-card poker hand wins the pot. A full house is three matching cards of one rank, a flush is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, and a straight is five consecutive cards from different suits. If no one has a winning hand, the pot is split evenly between all remaining players.