Poker is a card game in which players compete to make the best five-card hand. There are many different variants of the game but they all share a few key principles.
Depending on the rules of your game, one or more players may be required to place an initial amount into the pot before the cards are dealt. These are called forced bets and they can come in the form of ante, blind, or bring-in bets. The dealer then shuffles the deck and deals each player two cards face down. Once the first betting round is complete the dealer puts three more cards on the table that everyone can use. These are called the flop.
In poker you aim to make the best 5-card hand possible from your personal two cards and the five community cards on the board. You can bet in subsequent rounds to win the pot if you have a strong enough hand.
Learning to look beyond your own cards and into the minds of your opponents is a critical skill. Knowing what an opponent is likely to do when faced with certain bets will help you know how much pressure to put on them. You can also try to figure out if they have a strong or weak hand so you can adjust your strategy accordingly. Over time, you’ll develop a intuition for things like frequencies and EV estimation. This will help you make more profitable decisions.