Poker is a card game that can be very addicting, but it can also be very costly. The first thing you need to do in order to get good at poker is to play only one table and take all the time you need to think about your decision. This will allow you to fully understand everything that is happening at the table and will help you learn poker hand ranking, your opponents position and all the other things going on in the game.
When you start playing poker you are dealt 2 private cards and then the betting begins. You can fold if you don’t like your cards, call (match the highest bet so far) or raise (increase the previous high bet).
After the betting round is over the dealer will put down three community cards face up on the table that anyone can use. This is called the flop. This is when you have to decide if your two private cards are good enough or not.
There are many poker hands you can make but some of them are better than others. If you have pocket kings and the flop comes A-8-5 it will not be good for you because there is a very good chance that someone will have a pair of jacks. That is why it is important to always be careful with your strong hands and always be aware of what other players are doing at the table.