Poker is a card game that can be played by two or more players. Each player has “chips” that they can use to bet on their own hand or on the hands of other players. A player is dealt 2 cards, then 5 community cards are dealt face up (“the flop”). Each player aims to make the best five card hand from their own 2 cards and the community cards. The person with the highest hand wins all bets made so far (“the pot”) without showing their cards.
Before the cards are dealt, each player must put an initial contribution, called the ante, into the pot. Then, when it is their turn to act, they can call a bet by putting the same amount of chips into the pot as the player before them; raise that number of chips above what the previous player raised; or “check” (pass on acting) and stay out of the betting until it comes back around to them again.
The most important skill for a good poker player is to minimize losses with poor hands and maximize winnings with good ones. To do this, you must be able to read the other players and pick up on their tells, unconscious habits that reveal information about their hand. You must also be able to use your poker math skills to calculate odds and to decide how much to bet on your own hand.