Poker is a card game where players wager against each other by placing chips into the pot before each hand. The player with the best 5 card poker hand wins the pot. There are many different poker variants, but they all use the same basic rules.

The first round of betting begins after the dealer has dealt everyone 2 cards face down. Then there are two mandatory bets called blinds that are placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. These bets help to encourage people to play and give the game a chance to succeed.

When the flop is dealt there is another round of betting. If you have a good poker hand at this stage of the game, then it is worth continuing to bet as much money as possible to force other players out of the pot with weak hands. This can be done by raising your own bets and also calling bets that other players make.

When playing poker against aggressive players, it is important to remember that they are likely raising with anything. This means they are representing more than just their poker hand and you should be careful to call when they raise if you have a good hand too. Alternatively, you can try to read the opponent by examining their betting patterns and trying to determine how confident they are about their poker hand. This will help you decide whether to defend your poker hand or bluff.