Poker is a card game played by two or more players against one another. The game involves betting in a series of rounds, with the winner being the player with the best five-card hand. There are many different poker variants, with subtle differences in the way players bet and how they make their hands. However, all poker games involve being dealt cards and then betting over them in a series of rounds until the final showdown.

At the beginning of each round, players put in chips into a pot. These chips are called antes, blinds or bring-ins, depending on the variant of poker being played. These forced bets are a part of the game and are used to determine the order of play, as well as how much money each player will have in their pocket at the end of the game.

Once the betting phase has started, each player must reveal their cards. The person to the left of the dealer starts, and then players take turns revealing their hands in a clockwise fashion. Each player must bet at least as many chips as the player before him, unless he folds.

If you have a weak hand, it is usually better to fold than to bet at it. Strong hands should generally be raised, as this will force worse hands out of the pot and raise the value of your hand. You can also bluff at the table, as you will often have some advantage in knowing what your opponent has.