Poker is a card game where players compete to win a pot, the aggregate of all bets placed during one deal. There are many variants of poker and the rules vary somewhat, but all forms of the game have certain things in common. A basic understanding of starting hands and position is critical to successful decision-making in any poker game.
The game begins with each player putting in an initial amount of money to the pot before the cards are dealt. These are called forced bets and come in the form of antes, blinds, or bring-ins. This creates a pot immediately and encourages competition.
When the dealer has completed shuffling the deck, the cards are then dealt. Each player is dealt two hole cards. A round of betting ensues, with the player to the left of the button placing in 2 mandatory bets (called blinds) first.
In the second phase of the hand, three community cards are revealed and there is another round of betting. At this point, the best 5-card hand wins the pot.
During a poker hand, players can also bet that they have the best hand by making a raise. This is called bluffing and can be effective if players with superior hands call the raise. However, if a player has a bad hand such as pocket jacks then the bluff may fail. This is why good bluffing skills are important. As you practice poker more and more, your intuition for frequency and EV estimation will improve.