The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that involves strategy, probability, psychology and more. The rules of poker are complex, and the game is played with a number of different chips that represent money (or “poker chips”). Each player has two cards, known as hole cards, which they keep hidden from other players. Five community cards are then dealt, in stages called the flop, turn and river. Players place bets in the pot based on a combination of their own expectations and their evaluation of other players’ actions.

A hand is determined by the rank of its cards, and the higher the rank of a hand, the better. A pair is a two-card combination of the same rank; three of a kind is three cards of the same rank, and a flush is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit.

The first player to act, designated by the rules of a particular poker variant, must either call or raise a bet made by the player to his left. Players may also fold, in which case they leave the round. If a player raises, he must then place in the pot enough poker chips to match the amount raised by the player to his left.

When playing poker, it is often a good idea to fold when you have a weak starting hand. This will help you avoid bleeding out your opponent and prevent him from exploiting your bluffs. If you have a strong value hand, however, it can be worthwhile to play it.