Poker is a card game with a lot of strategy and psychology. The game of Poker is mostly based on chance, but when players start betting, the game becomes more about skill and psychology than just luck.
In most modern games, players must make some form of forced bet (the ante or blind). The dealer shuffles the cards and then deals each player two personal cards and five community cards in turn. Each player must either call a bet by matching it or raising, or drop the hand to forfeit any further participation in the current round.
A player may also draw replacement cards from the community to improve their own hand. These are usually drawn during or after the betting interval.
As you play, watch the other players for signs they have a strong hand or are bluffing. Tells include shallow breathing, sighing, nostril flaring, a flushed face, eyes watering, and shaking hands. Players are often more apt to bluff when they have nothing else to lose.
A full house contains 3 cards of the same rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A flush contains 5 cards of the same suit in order, such as 5-6-7-8-9. A straight contains 5 cards that skip around in rank or sequence but are all from the same suit, such as Ace-King-Queen-Jack-Ten. A three of a kind is made up of three cards of the same rank and one unmatched card.