Poker is a game that involves betting with cards. There are many different ways to play poker, but the most common is by placing chips into a “pot” and then raising or folding as you see fit. Each player has a certain amount of money they can place into the pot, and this amount is determined by how much they “buy in” for the hand. The first person to put money into the pot is called the “bettor.”

If the player in front of you raises and you want to call, you must say “call” or “I call” so that your bet matches the amount raised. If you are unsure how to play your hand or want to improve your chances of winning, consider watching hands that went wrong and working out what the experienced players did correctly in those hands.

Another important part of the game is learning how to read other players. This doesn’t have anything to do with subtle physical tells and more to do with understanding patterns. For example, if a player calls every single time then they probably don’t have strong hands. Similarly, if a player calls weak hands then they may not be able to beat the odds of calling a draw.

The best way to learn poker is by starting out at the lowest limits. This will allow you to practice against weaker players without risking a lot of your own money and will give you a feel for how the game works. Once you have some experience, you can move up in stakes if that is what you want to do.