Poker is a game of cards where players place chips in the center of the table and then bet over a series of rounds. The player with the highest-ranked hand wins the pot. There is a great deal of skill involved in poker, especially when betting is involved, and it is a fun game to play with friends.
Each round begins with the dealer dealing two cards face down to each player. The first player to the left of the big blind takes their turn and can either put in chips equal to the size of the current bet (call), put out more than double the amount of the big blind to raise the current bet (raise), or push their cards to the dealer facedown without putting any money into the pot (fold).
Once all players have acted once during this round, three additional cards are dealt on the table which everyone can use. This is called the flop. The flop is a key part of the game because it allows players to make their strongest hands by combining their own two cards with the three community cards that are shared among all players.
Some of the most profitable hands are straights and flushes that consist of consecutive cards of the same suit. Other hands that win ties are high pairs, three of a kind, and the highest card in the hand. High hands are often easier to win than other hands because they can conceal their strength by bluffing.