Poker is a card game that involves betting and bluffing. The goal is to make the best five-card hand possible, or at least convince the other players that you have a good hand. There are several different poker variants, but they all share a few basic principles.
During the game, chips are used to represent your bets. Each player starts with a set amount of chips, called a buy-in. The white chips are worth one unit, while the red and blue chips are each worth a certain number of units. It’s important to be clear when indicating how much you want to bet, since a miscommunication can lead to trouble. For example, saying “call” means you want to bet the same amount as the person to your right, while a tap of the table indicates that you’re checking.
Once everyone has two cards, a round of betting begins. The first player to the left of the big blind takes their turn, and they can choose to put out a chip equal to the amount of the big blind (call), raise the current bet by raising their own bet amount, or push their cards to the dealer face-down without putting any chips in (fold).
It’s also important to keep your cards visible at all times. This lets other players know that you are still in the hand, which is helpful for establishing a pattern of behavior that aligns with optimal strategies.