Poker is a card game where players use a combination of cards to create the strongest possible hand. It has many variants, but the core rules are similar. Players compete against each other and the dealer, betting in rounds until a player has the best hand. The winning player takes the entire pot, unless they have folded before a showdown.
Depending on the game rules, one or more players are required to place an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt, called forced bets (ante and blind bets are common). The dealer shuffles the cards, and deals them to each player one at a time, starting with the player to their left. The cards may be dealt face up or down, depending on the game type.
Once each player has two cards, the action begins, and the players can call or raise any existing bets in a given round. Players can also choose to check (pass up a chance to bet, until the first bet is made that round), or fold their cards by sliding them back to the table, face down, without saying anything.
It is important to know how much to bet, and how to manage the chips in the pot. A good way to learn this is to study hands played by experienced players. It is useful to study their mistakes as well as their successful moves, as understanding the reasoning behind profitable decisions can improve your own gameplay.