Poker is a game where you work with incomplete information, so decisions are made under uncertainty. It is a card game that can be played in many different ways, but the basic rules are similar: Each player has two cards (sometimes called their “hand”) and five community cards. The goal is to make the best 5 card hand using your own 2 cards and the five community cards.

Before a hand begins, the players place an initial amount of money into the pot. This is known as the ante. Depending on the game, some players may also be forced to place a blind bet before their own hands are dealt.

A hand is started when the dealer deals each player two cards face down. Then there are betting rounds before the flop, turn and river. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

After the flop, each player must decide whether to fold, call or raise. A player can also discard their cards and draw replacements if they want to change the strength of their hand.

When a player says call, they are matching the previous person’s bet amount. They can also say raise if they think they have a good hand and want to increase their bet size. If they don’t, then they fold their cards and the next person takes their turn. It is important to shuffle the deck well after each round of betting. This prevents everyone from seeing the same cards and gives them more opportunities to make good calls.

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