Poker is a card game with millions of fans. It is also a game of incomplete information – you cannot see your opponents’ cards and must make decisions based on the bits of information they are giving away. Every bet, call, check, or fold gives a different story about your opponent’s strength and weakness.
Each player begins the game with two cards and then aims to create a five-card “hand” using their own cards and the community cards on the table. The best hand wins the “pot” – all of the chips bet in that betting round. In addition to making decisions based on incomplete information, players must also try to read their opponents’ signals and tells – unconscious habits in the way a player holds their cards, moves around the table, or interacts with other players.
The first player to the left of the dealer must put in an initial amount of money into the pot (the “ante”) before the cards are dealt. Then, during each betting interval (“round”), a player may bet one or more of their chips into the pot. If another player calls that bet, the raiser must match or exceed the amount of the original bet to continue the betting. If a player is unwilling to call, they must withdraw their chips from the pot and leave the game. This is called dropping.