Poker is a game in which players compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by all the participants, called the pot. Each player attempts to control the amount of money in the pot by combining cards to make the best five-card hand they can.
Each round begins with players making forced bets, known as the ante and blind bets, into the pot. A token, known as a button, is then rotated clockwise among players to indicate a nominal dealer for that round. The dealer then shuffles the cards, deals them one at a time to each player, and then takes bets from those who wish to participate in the hand.
When it is your turn to act, you can say ‘call’ to match the last bet made by the person to your left. Alternatively, you can raise the previous high bet by saying ‘raise’. When you say either of these, you must place your chips into the pot in front of everyone to avoid any confusion about how much you are betting.
Top players often fast-play strong hands, which means they bet a lot early in the hand to build the pot and chase off others waiting for a draw that could beat their hand. As a result, weak players can find themselves out of the hand quickly. As you progress, try to avoid tables with strong players. While learning to play poker, you should only gamble with an amount of money that you are willing to lose.