Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money) into a central pot during betting rounds. The player with the highest-ranking hand at the end of the betting round wins the pot. A player may voluntarily place additional chips into the pot during a betting round, and players may raise each other’s bets if they believe their hands are stronger than their opponents’.

The first step to becoming a poker beast is to start keeping a file of hands you’ve played, or even hands you haven’t played but are familiar with. Having this file will help you make better decisions in future hands.

A standard 52-card pack including a joker is used in poker, but the joker only counts as a higher card for a straight or certain special hands. Also, all four deuces (2s) are wild cards.

In a typical poker game, each player must first ante something into the pot, or “post up” if they’re not raising already. The dealer then shuffles the deck, cuts the deck, and deals each player two cards. Cards can be dealt face up or face down, depending on the game.

Once everyone has their two personal cards, they begin the first of several betting rounds, which is called the “flop”. The dealer then deals another card to each player, known as a burn card, which stays face down out of play. The players then advance to the next betting round.