Poker is a card game played by 2 or more people in a betting circle. The game begins when the dealer gives each player 2 cards. Then a round of betting starts, usually with the player to the left of the dealer. The player to the left must place a mandatory bet, called a blind, into the pot before they can raise or call another player’s bet.
After the first betting round is complete the dealer puts three more cards face up on the table that anyone can use. This is the flop. Then a second round of betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer.
When a player has a strong poker hand they should bet at it to force weaker hands out. They should also bluff sometimes to win a pot with a bad hand. A good poker player will be able to read the tells of other players. This includes looking at a player’s body language, idiosyncrasies and betting patterns.
The person with the highest ranked poker hand wins the pot. This can be any amount of money that has been bet during the hand. There are often rules for how this money is shared amongst players after the hand is over. This is known as the showdown.