Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involves betting. The object of the game is to win the pot, which is the total amount of bets placed during a hand. The cards are dealt, then players place bets into a pot that is in the center of the table. This is done to encourage competition, which in turn increases the chances of winning. Depending on the rules of the game, some bets are forced on all players and are called antes, blinds, or bring-ins.

To begin, each player must first buy in with chips (representing money) that are used to make wagers. Typically, each white chip is worth the minimum ante or bet; red chips are worth five whites; and blue chips are worth 10 or 20 whites. Once all the players have bought in, they are dealt two cards each and betting begins.

The player to the dealer’s left acts first and can either open the betting by raising or calling. If they call, the rest of the players can continue to act in clockwise order until they have all checked.

Once all the players have checked, three more cards are dealt to the table in the center of the table. These are known as community cards and can be used by all of the players. Then, another round of betting takes place. Throughout this process, you should be observing how experienced players react in certain situations to learn their strategies and develop your own instincts.