Poker is a card game that can be played by two or more players. It is a game of chance, but the long-run expected value of a player’s actions at the table are determined by various strategic considerations (probability, psychology and game theory).
During each deal one or more forced bets are placed into the pot by players who are either raising their own bets or trying to bluff other players for various reasons. After these forced bets have been made, the dealer shuffles the cards and then deals each player 2 cards. The player to the right of you cuts the deck and betting begins. You can hit, stay, double up or fold your hand as the betting continues.
When the first round of betting is over the dealer puts three additional cards on the table that anyone can use. These are called the flop. After a second round of betting begins the dealer puts a fourth community card on the table that everyone can use.
A good poker player will pay attention to what other players are doing at the table and try to read them. While some of this can be done through subtle physical poker “tells,” the majority of it is based on patterns. For example, if you see a player check-raising a lot of hands then they probably have a strong poker hand. If they play a lot of weak hands then they are most likely holding a mediocre hand.