The game of poker is played with cards and a small amount of chips (usually white, but can be any color) that are marked to indicate their value. Each player must put in a “bet,” or amount of chips, at some point during the betting phase. Players may call the bet, raise it or fold their hand. In the case of raising, the player must either put in as many chips as the person before them, or more than they did. If a player decides to fold their hand, they can do so at any time during the round of betting.
Position is important in poker because it gives you a lot of information about what your opponents are holding. Most good players have a read on other players that they can use to know if they are playing a strong or weak hand. This read doesn’t come from subtle physical tells such as scratching their nose or nervously playing with their chips, but rather from patterns that can be recognized over and over again.
After the first betting round is complete the dealer deals three cards face up on the table that everyone can use, called the flop. After this another round of betting takes place and the player with the best 5 card poker hand wins. It is common practice to have a special fund, or kitty, that contains low-denomination chips that each player contributes to at the end of the game. This kitty is used to pay for things like new decks of cards, food and drinks.