Poker is a card game that involves betting. There are many variants of poker but the basic rules remain the same. Each player places chips in a pot in front of them and they compete for the highest hand to win the pot.
The first step in learning to play poker is understanding relative hand strength. There is a lot of skill to this and a good way to learn it is by playing with people who already know the game and can teach you (or buy you a book on the subject).
After two cards are dealt to each player they can either call the amount bet by the person to their left or raise it. If they raise it then the next player must match that raise or fold their cards. Players may also raise their stakes multiple times in a row, known as raising the blind.
Each player must then reveal their hands to the rest of the table. Each hand is classified in one of a number of categories and any hand within that category beats any other hand of the same type. For example, a full house of three matching cards beats any straight.
The final betting phase is known as the showdown. At this point, the winning player will receive a pot of money that is the total of all bets during the round. This is usually more than the amount a player has staked themselves.