How to Play Poker

Poker is a card game played by two or more people in a betting fashion. The goal is to make the best hand with your cards and then to win the pot. The game involves quite a bit of psychology and skill (although there is less when nothing is at stake, but that’s another story).

There are several ways to play poker. You can either “ante” (the first, typically small amount of money put up to get dealt in), raise, or fold. A good way to learn is by playing with a group of friends who know the game and are willing to help you get better.

When you’re in early position, or EP, you should bet very tight and only open strong hands. As you move to MP, you can start to add a few more hands to your opening range but still only bet with the strongest of them. Having position gives you “bluff equity,” meaning that you can make cheap, effective bluffs against players who are holding weak hands.

Once the flop is dealt, there are three more betting intervals before the river and then a showdown. High card breaks ties in case there are multiple players who have the same hand. A pair is two cards of the same rank and one unmatched card, three of a kind is 3 matching cards of any rank and two unmatched cards, and a flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit.