Poker is a game with many variations and rules. Regardless of the variant, players place bets in a round and are aiming to make the best 5 card hand using their own 2 cards and the five community cards. Players can raise their bets during each betting phase, depending on the strength of their hands.
Each player has a certain number of chips (money to bet with) which they place before the cards are dealt. They also have to decide whether to reveal their hand. If they choose to reveal their hand, they must raise their bet by at least the amount of the previous bet. This way other players can see if they have a strong or weak hand and change their bets accordingly.
There is no fixed betting pattern for a given round, but a typical one begins with the player to the left of the big blind. Then, 3 cards are dealt face-up in the center of the table (the flop). These are called community cards and are used by all players to make their poker hand. After the flop, another betting phase begins.
After a certain number of rounds, the final card is dealt face-up (the “river”). The player with the best poker hand wins the pot, which includes all bets made at each round. A lot of luck is involved in poker, but with practice, skill can help to mitigate the effect of chance.