The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that can be played by any number of people. The object is to win the “pot,” which is the sum of all the bets placed during one deal. You can win the pot by having a high-ranking poker hand or by making a bet that no other player calls. There are many different poker games, but the rules of most are the same.

Depending on the rules, each player must place an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. This is called a forced bet and can be either an ante or a blind bet. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to the players, one at a time, starting with the person to their left.

After the first betting interval, 3 more cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These are known as the flop and are community cards that all players use to build their 5-card poker hand. After another betting period, a showdown takes place where the players reveal their hands and the player with the best 5-card hand wins the pot.

When betting, you can raise the amount that you bet by saying “raise.” You can also call if you want to match the previous bet, or fold if you don’t want to bet any more money. Remember that if you fold, you will give up all of your money that you put down as buy-in for that round.