Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money) into the pot, and then compete to make the best hand. The highest-ranked hand wins the pot. Players must ante something (the amount varies by game), and then they can either call, raise, or fold.
If you say “call” when it’s your turn to bet, it means that you want to raise the same amount as the player who raised before you. You then put the same amount of money in the pot as they did.
In poker, as in life, there’s always a risk associated with any decision you make. Sometimes it’s better to take a chance and go for broke, even if you don’t have the strongest starting hand. However, this style can often be exploited by other players who know your tendencies.
You deal yourself a pair of kings off the flop (not great, but not bad). When betting starts, Alex ‘checks’ (checking means that he doesn’t raise his bet, and instead puts one dime into the pot). Charley calls (and puts two more cents into the pot), and Dennis raises another dime (putting twenty cents into the pot). You call the raise and win the hand.