Poker is a game of chance and strategy that involves betting against other players. The game has many different variations and rules, but they all share a few fundamentals. In this article we will focus on the core poker game, Texas Hold’Em – you know the one that’s played in the World Series of Poker and other shows.

Before you begin playing poker, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the rules and the game play. It’s also important to understand the importance of position and how it can make or break your winning chances.

First, every player must place chips into the pot equal to the size of the big blind before they see their cards. This creates a pot immediately and encourages competition. After that, each player has the option to call the bet of the person on their left (call), raise it by putting out at least double the amount of the previous raiser (raise), or push their cards to the dealer face down without putting any money in (fold).

Next, a community card is placed on the table and everyone gets another chance to bet/check/raise/fold. When the final betting round, called the river, is over, everyone will reveal their cards and the player with the highest hand wins the pot. There are a few different hands that can win the pot, but we recommend starting with premium hands such as pocket pairs, high-card combinations and suited connectors.