In poker players bet over a series of rounds with the goal of winning a pot. Although there are many different versions of the game, the essentials remain the same. Each player is dealt 2 cards and there is a round of betting that begins after each player has seen their cards. This round is called the flop and it is initiated by two mandatory bets (called blinds) from the players to the left of the dealer.
The next card is dealt face up on the flop and again there is a betting round. After the flop there is another round of betting and then 3 more cards are dealt face up on the board (these are community cards that everyone can use).
Once the betting rounds are complete players reveal their hands and the person with the best 5 card poker hand wins the pot. In some games ties are possible and in these cases the winner is the last player to reveal their hand or the dealer.
One of the keys to successful poker is being able to look beyond your own cards and think about what your opponents may have. This is called reading your opponents and it involves observing their behavior over time and analyzing how they react to certain types of bets. By examining their reaction you can determine what type of hand they have and how likely it is that they will bluff with certain hands or even fold altogether.