Poker is a game where each player has 2 cards dealt to them, and then there is a betting round. Before the betting begins, the players to the left of the dealer put in mandatory bets called blinds that must be raised by other players. These bets create a pot that all the players can then bet into, and the player with the highest hand at showdown wins the pot.
Each player will have a number of possible hands from their two cards, and each hand ranks higher or lower depending on the combination of suits, numbers and rank of the individual cards. To make a full poker hand, you must have one of the following:
You can read more about the different hands here. The most important thing to remember when playing poker is that your hand is only good or bad in relation to what the other players have. For example, if you have A-K while the other guy has J-J, your kings are losers 82% of the time.
A key component of winning poker is making smart decisions, and that means knowing when to fold your hand. You should always bet when you have a strong hand, and even if your opponent has good cards, it’s best to fold and not keep throwing money at a bad hand that won’t improve. Also, don’t get caught up thinking that a bad hand means you have to check every bet, because this can give away information about your hand, and your opponents will use that to build their story about you.