Poker is a card game in which players compete to make the best five-card hand. The player with the highest-ranking hand wins the pot, which contains all of the chips that were put up as buy-ins for the game. Occasionally, there is a tie among the best hands and the pot is split evenly.

When a round of cards is dealt, the players must reveal their hands to one another and place bets. The player who makes the first bet is known as the button, and that position passes clockwise around the table after each round of betting.

The player who is closest to the button must “call” that bet, or else they must fold. If a player is uncomfortable calling, they may opt to raise instead, which requires them to put in at least the same number of chips as the player who raised before them. Players can also choose to drop, which means that they put in no chips and forfeit their chances of winning the pot for the current round.

To get better at poker, it’s important to build your comfort level with risk-taking, Just says. She recommends starting with lower-stakes games and building up to higher stakes, as this will help you learn how to assess your odds of getting a good hand in different situations. You can also learn to manage the risks you take by noticing when your odds are diminishing and taking them off the table instead of continuing to push for a win.