Poker is a card game in which players wager on their hands. The player with the best five-card poker hand at the end of a betting round wins. Unlike other games of chance, poker involves a large amount of skill and strategy to win.

Before the cards are dealt each player has to place a forced bet, called an ante. This is usually equal to the big blind in the table, which is placed by the person sitting two positions to the left of the dealer (or who is holding the button). The ante is used to ensure that players contribute money to the pot before any cards are even dealt.

The dealer then deals the cards out to each player one at a time, beginning with the person to their left. Once the initial deal is complete a third card is dealt to the board which anyone can use, this is called the flop. The players then get a second chance to bet. If they want to bet again they must say “call” which means matching the last bet and placing their chips or cash into the pot.

If you have a strong poker hand, such as pocket kings or queens, bet at it to force weaker hands out of the pot and increase the value of your hand. However, new players often make the mistake of getting too attached to their good hands and keep betting money at their hand when it is unlikely to win. This is known as tunnel vision and can lead to disaster.