Poker is a game in which players place bets and then compete to form the best hand. There are many different types of poker, but they all share some basic features. These include betting in rounds, raising and re-raising bets, and a system of hand rankings that determines the highest-ranked hands.
In most forms of poker, the object of the game is to win the pot. The pot is the sum of all bets in a particular round. To win the pot, you must have a high-ranking poker hand or bet a large amount in order to force other players to call your bet. You may also bluff, in which case you pretend to have a better hand than you actually have.
A player must first put up the ante, which is an initial bet that must be made before any other player can act. Once the antes are in place, there are three community cards dealt into the center of the table and another round of betting takes place.
If the person to your left raises their bet, you can say “call” to match the amount they are betting and continue playing your hand. You can also “raise” your own bet to add more money into the pot, which other players must then either call or fold. You can also simply check (not bet) if you do not want to play the hand. This lets the other players know that you do not think your cards are good enough to win, and they might take the hint.