Poker is a card game that takes skill and strategy to win. The goal of the game is to have the best five-card hand at the end of a betting round. Players can also bluff in the hope that others will believe they have a good hand and raise their bets. After a certain number of rounds or when a player has folded their cards the remaining players participate in a showdown where they reveal their cards and the player with the highest ranked hand wins.
When it’s your turn to bet you may say “call” to match the last person’s bet or raise it. If you want to stay in the hand without raising your bet you can say “check.” If a player checks during a betting interval they must call any bet made before them. If they wish to raise a bet that has been raised, they must make a higher bet than the previous player.
After the first betting round is complete the dealer puts three more cards face up on the table that anyone can use. This is called the flop. Players can then decide to bet again or fold.
The dealer then puts a fifth card on the table that everyone can use. This is known as the river. The last betting round starts and the player with the highest ranked five-card hand wins. Players can also tie if their hands contain the same pair of cards (such as two aces). In this case the rank of the other card determines which hand wins.