Poker is a card game in which players place bets over a series of rounds with the goal of winning a showdown. The game has a wide variety of variations, but they all have the same core: players reveal their cards and then place bets on their hand in the hopes of beating other player’s hands.

At the start of each betting round (known as a “hand”), each player is dealt 2 cards. The first round of betting is triggered by mandatory bets placed into the pot by the two players to the left of the dealer.

Once the first round is complete, another card, known as the “flop,” is revealed. This triggers a second betting round. At this point, the players can choose to either raise their bets or fold their hands. Raising means to increase the amount of money you’re putting into the pot and is generally done when you believe your hand can beat the community card in the center of the table.

You can also decide to just call a bet when you’re playing with a weak hand, which is known as “checking.” This is done when you have no hope of winning and simply want to draw attention away from your poor hand. Alternatively, you can try to bluff by calling and hoping that someone else thinks you have a good hand as well.