Poker is a game of cards where players compete to form the highest-ranking hand. The best hand wins the pot, which is the sum of all bets placed during a betting round. Poker can be played for money or simply for fun, and it can also involve bluffing to gain an advantage over other players. The best poker players have a variety of skills, including patience, reading other players, and adaptability.

In poker, each player is dealt 2 cards face-down and then has the opportunity to decide whether to call, raise or fold their hand. A call means that you want to stay in the hand and continue betting, a raise means that you want to put in more money than your opponent and a fold means that you are happy with the value of your hand and don’t wish to play it any further.

After the pre-flop betting round is complete the dealer puts down three more cards on the table that are visible to all players. These are called the flop and they are community cards that anyone can use to build a hand.

When betting on the flop, it is important to understand that your opponents will have many hands that can beat you, so you need to have a strong understanding of the game. It is good to memorize charts that show you how different hands beat each other, for example, a straight beats a flush and two pair beats a full house.