Poker is a card game of strategy, luck and mental toughness. Players make their best five-card hand by using both their own hole cards and community cards. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot. The first step to playing poker is learning the rules and understanding the terminology. You should also practice and watch other players to develop quick instincts. It is important to play only with money you are willing to lose and to track your wins and losses. If you are new to poker, you should begin with a small bankroll and increase your wagers as you become more experienced.

The game of poker is played with chips (representing money) and betting occurs in a clockwise fashion. A player must contribute to the pot at least as much as the player before him. The player in the earliest position is called the button or blind, and players to his left are in Early Position, and then Late Position.

After the antes are placed, each player receives two cards face down and then checks to see if they have a good hand. If not, they fold. If they do, they raise and then the game continues.

Throughout the hand there will be one or more betting intervals, depending on the game and the rules being followed. Generally, one player, designated by the game rules, has the right to place the first bet and must match or raise the bet of the person before him.

When it is your turn to act, you can say “call” if you want to put up the same amount as the player in front of you. If you think your hand is strong, you can raise the bet by saying “raise”.

The dealer then deals three more cards face up on the table that anyone can use. This is called the flop. If you have a good hand, you can bet to force weaker hands out of the game and get the most value from your bets.

Once all the cards are on the table, players compare their hands and the higher ranking hand wins. If the hands are equal, they are ranked by the rank of the highest card. For example, a pair of kings beats a pair of tens. If this still doesn’t determine a winner, the rank of the unmatched card is compared. If the card is lower, it is a high pair and the other is a low pair. This is called a split pot.