Poker is a card game of chance and skill that can be played by two or more players. It involves betting on a hand of five cards. Players can also bet that they have the best hand and try to win by bluffing (betting that they have a better hand than they actually do).
The game is usually played with poker chips. Each player buys in for a certain amount of money to start the game. Typically, one white chip is worth the minimum ante; a red chip is worth ten whites; and a blue chip is worth twenty or more whites. Each player then starts the game by placing his or her chips into a “pot” in the middle of the table.
When it is your turn to bet, you can say “call” or “I call” to place a bet equal to the last person’s bet. You can also say “raise” to add more money to the pot. If you don’t want to call or raise, you can fold your hand at any time before the end of your betting turn.
When betting is over, the highest hand wins the pot. Depending on the rules of your game, you may be able to draw replacement cards for those in your hand that are discarded. If you have a pair, you’ll have a pair of cards; three of a kind is three matching cards; four of a kind is four matching cards; and a full house is a pair plus two more matching cards.