Poker is a card game in which players place bets and then reveal their hands to determine the winner of the pot. The player who has the highest ranking hand wins the pot. Typical hand rankings are as follows: Royal Flush (A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit); Straight Flush (five cards in sequence but not all the same suits); Four of a Kind (four distinct cards of the same rank); Three of a Kind; Two Pair; and High Card (the highest card breaks ties).
In most games each player must make at least one forced bet before receiving their cards. The dealer shuffles the deck and then deals the cards one at a time starting with the player to their left. This is known as the button position. If a player does not want to play their cards they can fold and they will no longer compete for the pot.
If a player wants to raise the amount of money they have bet on their hand, they must say “I raise” and then make a new bet in front of all the other players. They must then call any other raises on their hands before the next betting round.
A bluff is the act of pretending to have a good poker hand when you don’t. It is important to remember that bluffing requires a lot of skill and psychology. For this reason many experienced players don’t bluff very often.