Unlike most card games, poker has a number of written and unwritten rules that must be followed to keep the game fair. In addition, there are a few unwritten rules of etiquette that you should understand as you start playing the game.

The game starts with each player putting in an initial amount of money into the pot, called an ante. This is usually followed by a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Some variations of poker also require that players place additional forced bets into the pot before they are dealt their cards, called blinds. These bets can either replace the ante or be in addition to it.

Once everyone has their 2 hole cards a third card is revealed, called the flop. This is followed by another round of betting, again starting with the player to the left of the dealers button.

After the flop there are 5 community cards in the middle of the table which players can use to create their best 5-card poker hand. This is when you can really get some value from your poker hands, especially when your opponents have poor ones like trip fives or a full house.

Position is very important in poker as it gives you more information than your opponents when it is your turn to act. It also allows you to better calculate bluff equity and the value of your bets during a hand. You should always be aiming to play from late positions. This will help you avoid getting dominated by stronger hands and allow you to be the aggressor in a hand.