Poker is a game of chance and skill. It’s a very fun game but to win it takes patience and discipline. It’s very easy to get frustrated by bad luck and let that distract you from your strategy. You’ll also have to be willing to lose hands that you know you could have won if you had played differently.

Depending on the rules of your game you may have to place an initial amount of money into the pot (the amount varies by game). This is called the ante, blinds or bring-in. This money is placed into the pot voluntarily by players who believe they have positive expected value on the long run or want to bluff other players for various strategic reasons.

Once everyone has matched their bet and you are in position, betting begins. After your 2 cards are dealt you can say “Check” if you don’t want to bet more, or you can say “Stay” or “Raise.” A Raise means you are increasing the amount you are betting.

When you raise your bet, the other players must either Call or Fold. Generally, you should only raise with strong hands. A strong hand includes a pair or better. A pair is two matching cards of the same rank and a third card that’s not the same as either of the first pair. A Flush is 5 cards of consecutive ranks in the same suit. A Straight is five cards of consecutive ranks but from different suits. The highest card breaks ties.