Poker is a card game played between two or more people. It is usually played with a standard 52-card deck, although different poker games use various number of starting cards (hole cards). The game starts with each player placing a mandatory bet, called blinds into the pot before dealing the first card. The dealer is responsible for shuffling, and passing the button to the player to their left at the end of each hand.
After the players receive their 2 cards they can decide to fold, call or raise. Saying hit means that you want to receive another card, if the original cards are low in value then you would prefer to stay and just call. If you have a good hand and believe that the other players are weak then you could raise your bet to put pressure on them, and make them call yours.
Once the betting round is complete he dealer deals three more cards face-up on the table, these are community cards that anyone can use – this is called the flop. Again there is a betting round and the aim of the hand is to make the highest 5 card poker hand.
It is important to have quick instincts and not try to rely too much on math in poker, as each hand will be different. Practice and observe how other experienced players react to build these instincts. Also it is good to ask for help from fellow players if you are struggling with any aspect of the game.