Poker is a card game of betting between two or more players. It is a fast-paced game with a high degree of skill required to beat opponents. The objective is to extract maximum value from winning hands and minimise losses when you have a losing hand. This is known as MinMax (Minimum Losses – Maximum Wins). It is also possible to misinform opponents about the strength of your hand through a variety of mechanisms such as tells.
There are two mandatory bets made into the pot by players to the left of the dealer each round – the blinds. Each player then receives 2 cards face down and the first round of betting begins. Then a 3rd card is dealt face up – the flop. There is another round of betting and it’s important to hit your needed cards on the flop, turn or river to make your poker hand.
Players can raise their stakes after each betting interval if they wish. They may also “call” a raise by putting in the same amount of chips into the pot as the previous player. If they don’t want to call or raise, they can “drop” by putting no chips into the pot and discarding their cards.