Poker is a card game that involves chance but also requires considerable skill and psychology. It is also a social game that can be played with friends or strangers. The rules of poker vary slightly from one variant to the next, but there are some basic rules that apply to all.

Before the cards are dealt there is a round of betting, called the blinds. These are mandatory bets put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. Players may call these bets, raise them, or fold (drop).

Once the blinds are over the dealer deals 2 hole cards to each player. After this there is another round of betting, called the flop. The dealer then puts 3 more cards face up on the table that anyone can use, these are called the community cards. There is another round of betting, starting with the player on the left of the dealer.

When the betting is over it is time for the showdown. At this point the players reveal their hands and the player with the highest ranked hand wins the pot (all the money that was bet during that round). Poker can be played with a number of different chip denominations, but the most commonly used chips are white. A white chip is worth the minimum ante or bet, a red chip is worth five whites, and a blue chip is worth twenty whites or more.