Poker is a card game in which players wager chips. There are usually a minimum of 200 chips, with each white chip (or light-colored chip) being worth the lowest amount, while blue chips (or dark-colored chips) are worth more. Some games also require a special dealer chip, which passes around the table after each hand.
Each player starts with two personal cards and five community cards that everyone can use to make a 5-card hand. When it is your turn, you can choose to “call” a bet by putting into the pot the same number of chips as the player before you; raise it by putting in more than the previous player; or drop out of the betting round by not putting any chips into the pot at all. A player who drops out of the betting round must discard their hand and is not allowed to rejoin the action until the next deal.
A player who makes a high-value hand wins the pot. If more than one player has a high-value hand, then the highest-value card decides the winner. For example, five aces beats five kings, and so on.
The key to winning poker is to be patient and only raise when you think you have a strong hand. It is also important to learn to read other players’ tells (eye movements, idiosyncrasies, body language, hand gestures, etc.). By studying other players’ behavior, you can gain insight into their intentions and adjust your strategy accordingly.