Poker is a card game in which players place bets and reveal their cards. The game has many variants, but all share some basic rules. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot of chips. The game can be played with anywhere from 2 to 14 players, although the ideal number is 6.
After all players have their two hole cards there is a round of betting called preflop. This is initiated by 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by players to the left of the dealer.
Once the preflop betting is over the dealer deals 3 additional cards face up on the table that everyone can use (called the flop). This triggers another round of betting and now the player with the best 5 poker hand has a chance to win the pot.
The highest-ranking poker hand is a Royal Flush, which consists of the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of one suit. A Straight Flush is five cards of consecutive rank, but from more than one suit. Three of a kind is three cards of the same rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A Pair is two cards of the same rank plus one other unmatched card.
If you are not confident that you have a strong poker hand it is a good idea to check or fold. This will prevent you from throwing your money away on a weak hand. Alternatively, you can bet to force the other players to fold or raise their bets to give your hand a better chance of winning.