Poker is a card game that involves some luck but also some skill. Players make bets against each other, with chips that represent money (or cash, if you’re not playing for real). The player with the best poker hand wins the pot. Players may also bluff, betting that they have a strong hand when they don’t. If other players call the bluff, they lose the pot.

Before the cards are dealt, each player must post a bet. This is known as posting the blinds. The player to the left of the button does this first, followed by every other player. The dealer then deals each player two cards face-down, hidden from the other players (these are known as your hole or pocket cards). Then three more cards are revealed in the center of the table (known as the flop). These are known as community cards and can be used by all the players to build their best 5-card poker hand. A winning hand must consist of five distinct cards.

During each betting round, a player may call, check or raise a bet. Say “call” to match the last bet (or raise it, if you want to). If someone else calls your bet, you must put your chips or cash in the pot (this is called calling). You can also fold if you don’t have a good hand. If you fold, your chips go into the discard stack and you can draw replacement cards.