One of the best ways to learn poker is by finding a local game and getting involved. This will let you meet people and get to know them in a relaxed environment while playing poker for fun. Then you can decide whether to play for real money or not. If you do play for real money it’s important to set a maximum stake that all players are happy with. This way you won’t be left out of the pot if your poker skills take a dive!
Before the cards are dealt each player must place an amount of money into the pot called an ante. This is mandatory and cannot be raised by a player once they are in the pot. Each player is also required to match the bet made by the player before them (this is known as matching).
After all the players have two cards in their hand they can decide to stay, hit or fold. If you have a good value poker hand, such as two 3’s then you would say stay and flip your card down. If you think your hand is worse than what you have, then you would raise and say hit me.
After the first betting round is complete the dealer will put three cards face up on the table that anyone can use, this is called the flop. After this another betting round takes place. Then the dealer will put a fifth community card on the table which everyone can use this is called the river.
