Poker is a game where you bet on your cards in order to make a winning hand. You can also win a hand by betting on someone else’s cards – this is called bluffing. Ultimately, the goal is to beat your opponents and collect the most money in the pot. There are a variety of different poker games, but they all have the same core elements.

The first step in learning how to play poker is understanding the rules of the game. The dealer typically deals two cards to each player and then the players bet based on their cards and the strength of other hands at the table. The dealer then reveals which hand is the highest and awards the pot of chips to the winner.

When you’re starting out, it’s best to keep your bets low until you get a feel for the game. A good way to do this is by watching other players at the table and asking for help if you’re confused. It’s also important to be clear with how much you’re betting – don’t try to hide your bets or make them hard to understand.

Once the antes are in, a round of betting is started by 2 mandatory bets (called blinds) placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. After this, the dealer will deal 3 more cards face up on the table – these are community cards that everyone can use. Then there’s another round of betting and you can either fold if your hand isn’t good or raise to put more money into the pot and hopefully scare people off from calling your bets with weaker hands.

If your hand is strong enough, you can raise during this phase to force other players to fold and win the pot. But you have to know how to read your opponent’s bets and understand the odds of having a good hand. For example, you shouldn’t raise if the dealer has a flush or straight, because these are very high hands and will beat yours.

As you play more and more, you’ll learn the ins and outs of poker etiquette and how to read other players better. You’ll begin to notice if someone is very conservative, only betting when they have a strong hand, or if they’re aggressive and are more likely to call your bets if you have a good hand. Eventually, these patterns will become second-nature and you’ll be able to read other players effortlessly.