Poker is a card game where players make bets to win a pot. At the start of a hand each player must ante (put in a forced bet) and then cards are dealt. Each player must then either call a bet or raise it. After all the players have raised their bets they reveal their cards and the player with the highest poker hand wins the pot.
The best way to get better at poker is to practice and watch experienced players. Observe how they react to different situations and then try to replicate their actions in your own play. By practicing and watching you will learn to make quick decisions which is a huge part of the game.
In most games there are several rounds of betting where each player can add money to the pot to increase their chances of winning. Each player must either “call” a bet by putting in the same amount as any previous players or “raise” a bet by adding more than the initial bet amount. If a player cannot call or raise they must drop out of the hand.
After the first betting round is complete the dealer puts three additional cards face up on the table which are called the flop. These are community cards that any player can use to create a hand. After another betting round is completed the dealer puts a fifth card on the board which is called the river. At this point everyone still in the hand gets a chance to check, raise or fold their cards.