Poker is a card game that involves betting and the formation of a hand based on the cards dealt. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot at the end of each betting round. The pot is the total sum of all bets placed by players at a table.
Each player has a supply of poker chips which are used to make bets and raises. A white chip is worth the minimum ante or bet amount; a red chip is worth five whites; and a blue or dark-colored chip is worth 10 whites. Each player starts the game with a set number of chips that they will use throughout the tournament.
Once each player has two hole cards there is a round of betting that begins with the player to the left of the button. There are also mandatory bets called blinds that are put into the pot before the dealing of each hand.
When a player has a good hand they can bet more, or raise the bets of others to improve their chances of winning. They can also fold their hand if they don’t think it is good enough. It is important for beginner players to learn how to read other players and look for tells. Tells include nervous habits like fiddling with a ring, but they can also be things as simple as the way a player plays. A player who frequently calls and then suddenly makes a big raise may be holding an unbeatable hand.