The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that involves skill and strategy in order to win. The goal is to extract the highest value out of winning hands and minimise losses on losing ones. The simplest way to think about it is MinMax – Minimise Losses – Maximise Winnings.

The game is usually played in a group of players around a table, each with a stack of chips to bet on their hand. The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them to the players one at a time, starting with the player on their left. The players can choose to call (raise the amount they are betting), check (pass their turn to act) or fold their hand. The player with the highest hand wins the pot.

Once all players have 2 cards in their hands the first round of betting begins. This is based on mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. These bets can be raised, but only if the player believes they have a positive expected value or are trying to bluff other players for strategic reasons.

After the flop, 1 more card is dealt face up and there is another round of betting. In addition to calling, raising or folding players can also say they will “raise the flop” to increase their bet. They are able to do this because there is now a community card available. The best hand is a pair with three distinct cards or higher. The high card is used to break ties.