Poker is a game of chance and skill. The more a player knows about the game and how to play it, the better they will do at it. There are a number of different ways to learn about poker, including reading books on the subject and playing with experienced players. In addition, there are many online resources to help players learn the game.
To begin a hand, each player must place an ante into the pot. Once everyone has acted, the dealer will deal cards to each player. If a player does not want to keep his or her hand, they can say “fold” and return their cards to the shuffled deck.
If a player wants to raise the amount of money that is being bet, they can say “raise” and put more money into the pot than the previous raiser did. The other players can choose to “call” the new bet or fold, depending on the strength of their hand.
When a player has a strong poker hand, they should bet aggressively to make other players think twice about going head-to-head against them. There is nothing worse than being beaten by someone with a pair of Kings that was not supported by aggressive betting.