Poker is a card game with many variations, but all of them share the same core rules. The aim of the game is to win pots (chips representing money) through a series of betting rounds. You do this by making a five-card poker hand and convincing the other players you have it (by raising, folding, etc).
At the start of each round the dealer places two cards face up on the table. These are called the flop. Everyone still in the hand then gets a chance to call, raise or fold their hands. The dealer then deals a fourth card, face up on the board. This is the turn.
The highest poker hand is a full house (three matching cards of the same rank plus two matching cards of another rank). A flush is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight is 5 cards of consecutive ranks, but from more than one suit. A high card breaks ties in any of the above hands.
In most games the player to the left of the dealer is the first to make a bet. Then, in turn, each player can choose to either call or raise a bet that has been raised by the player before them. It is important to understand how poker betting works and follow a code of etiquette when playing at the table. For example, don’t play out of turn as this can influence how the other players play before you.
