Poker is a card game with the objective of winning a pot. The pot consists of the total amount of bets made by players during one hand. Players may win the pot by having the highest poker hand or by bluffing and making a bet that other players do not call.
A poker hand consists of five cards. There are several different types of poker hands: a full house, which contains three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank; a straight, which consists of five consecutive cards that skip around in rank but are from the same suit; a flush, which is any five card sequence that does not qualify for either of the above categories; and a pair, which consists of two identical cards of one rank. Any poker hand that does not fit into any of the above categories is a loser.
When betting begins (the amount varies by game but is typically a nickel) each player has the option to fold, call or raise. If you have a good hand off the deal, like a pair of kings for example, then calling may make sense.
If you are raising a bet, say “raise.” Then, place your bet into the middle of the table, usually with chips. The dealer then deals three more cards face up on the table, called the flop. These are community cards and anyone can use them in their poker hand. Once the flop has been dealt it is time for another betting round.