Poker is a game of chance with a lot of different rules. The goal is to make a winning five-card hand using the two cards you hold and the five community cards on the table. The game has hundreds of variations, but all of them follow the same basic rules.

The best way to get started is by learning the basics. This includes the rules, betting, and terminology. Once you have a firm grasp on the fundamentals, you can move on to more advanced concepts and lingo. The more you study and practice, the better you will become.

When it’s your turn to act, you can fold (exit the hand), check (not put any money into the pot), call (match a previous player’s bet), or raise (bet more than the last person). It is important to understand how these terms work together so that you can communicate with other players at the table.

In poker, your cards are only as good or bad as the other player’s. If you have K-K and your opponent has A-A, then your kings will lose 82% of the time. This is the principle behind a popular strategy called “play the player, not the cards.”