The game of Poker involves each player aiming to make the best five card hand using their two personal cards (or “hand”) and the community cards. The player with the best hand wins the pot – all of the chips that have been bet so far in the round.
Before the cards are dealt, each player must place a mandatory bet called a “blind bet” to begin with. The player to the left of the button places this bet first, and the action moves clockwise from there for each hand.
After the blind bets are made, the dealer deals each player a total of seven cards, with a betting round between each deal. If a player is dealt a bad card, they can draw replacements from an undealt portion of the pack to make a new hand.
Depending on the rules of the game, players may also choose to raise or fold their cards. Raising is a way of forcing other players to put more money into the pot by showing your strength. It can be a very useful strategy in bluffing situations.
After the flop, the bets and calls continue until the river is dealt, or the players decide to check their cards. The players who raised or called on the flop, turn and river then reveal their cards and the player with the highest hand wins the pot. If there is a tie, the pot is split among the players with high cards.