Poker is a game of skill that teaches you about psychology, people skills, and strategy. It also improves your critical thinking and math skills, while also being fun and entertaining.

How to Play:

The first step is to decide how much money you want to bet on each hand. This is called an ante, and it’s usually a small amount, like $1 or $5. Once all of the antes have been placed, the dealer will deal two cards to each player, and then everyone will be able to see their own cards and make a decision about whether they want to call, raise, or fold.

Betting Intervals:

In each betting interval, one or more players must put in a certain number of chips into the pot to make their total contribution to the pot at least equal to the contribution of the preceding player. In each of these rounds, the player to the left must either “call” by putting in the same number of chips as the previous player; or “raise,” which means putting in more than the previous player’s total number of chips; or “drop,” which means putting no chips into the pot and discarding their hand.

Showdown:

After the third betting round, everyone gets a chance to show their hands. The person with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.