Poker is a popular card game that’s fun, social and offers a deep element of strategy to keep you interested over time. You can play it for money or for free, and you can learn a lot of different skills along the way.

Before you get started playing, there are some basics that you should know about the game. In poker, each betting interval, or round, begins when a player to the left of the button makes a bet.

Then, all players to the left of that player must either call that bet by putting into the pot the same number of chips; or raise, which means they put in more than enough chips to call; or drop, which means they discard their hand and are out of the betting until the next deal.

After the first betting round, the dealer deals three face-up cards to all players and then another betting round occurs. At the end of that betting round, the dealer puts a fourth card on the board and all players get a chance to bet/check/raise or fold.

When a poker hand reaches the showdown, all the players who called in the previous rounds of betting must turn their hands face-up and the player with the best five poker hands wins the pot.

If you’re looking for a more hands-on approach to learning the game, find a group of friends who enjoy playing poker and ask them to start up a regular home game. This way, you can practice your skills in a relaxed and comfortable environment.