Poker is a card game played by two or more players and involves betting. The aim is to make a winning hand by getting the highest combination of cards possible. It is considered a game of skill as it requires knowledge and psychology, and there are many books available to help players improve their game.
The game starts with the player on the chair to your right making an ante or blind bet, then the dealer shuffles and deals cards to each player one at a time starting from that chair, face up or down depending on the variant of poker being played. After the initial deal, a round of betting takes place and each player then decides to call (match or raise) the last bet made or fold. During the course of the hand each player will reveal their cards and the person with the highest ranking hand wins.
Some games have side pots which are added to the main pot after a player is all in, and it’s the dealer’s job to accurately distribute those chips between the main pot and the side pots. Generally, the side pots are re-evaluated after each street.
If you are dealt a bad hand, it’s important to minimise your losses by folding and re-buying if possible. This way, you can still make a profit by bluffing your opponents off their better hands and win more money from your good hands. This is referred to as MinMax.