Poker is a card game in which players wager whether their cards form a winning hand. The game can also involve bluffing, whereby a player attempts to make their opponents believe that they have a good hand while in fact they have a weak one. There are many variations of the game, and the rules differ from one to the next. However, there are some basic principles that all players should know.
The first step in playing Poker is putting up a stake (or calling a bet) to compete for the pot. If a player declines to do this, he must drop out of the round and may no longer compete for the pot. In this case he is said to “fold.”
Once the players have made their bets, they are dealt 2 cards face down (hidden from the other players). These are called the player’s hole or pocket cards. Then there is a betting phase that starts with the player to the left of the big blind.
After the pre-flop betting phase, 3 additional cards are dealt face up in the center of the table. These are called the flop. There is another round of betting that begins with the player to the left of the small blind. This betting phase ends once all players reveal their hands. If no players have a good hand, they must fold. Otherwise, they can raise their bets or call the raising bets of other players.