The game of poker has many variants, but it is fundamentally a card game in which players place bets based on expected value and psychology. Players may also bluff by betting that they have a superior hand when in fact they do not, and win the pot by other players calling the bet or conceding.
Initially, players must put an amount of money into the pot (this is called buying in) to get dealt cards. This is usually done with chips that are worth a certain amount, for example a white chip is worth one dollar while a red chip is worth five dollars. Once the antes are in the pot each player gets to bet once before the cards are revealed. After the first betting round is complete the dealer deals three additional cards on the board, these are community cards that anyone can use and this is known as the flop.
After this another betting round takes place and the player with the highest ranked poker hand wins. If the players are tied then the dealer will win the hand.
To play well in poker you need to understand your opponents and read them. This is a complex and advanced topic but in simple terms it means noticing patterns in how they act at the table. This doesn’t have to be subtle physical poker tells like scratching the nose or playing nervously with their chips but it could be things like how much they raise and how often they fold.