Poker is a card game of skill and chance. It became a favorite pastime of soldiers during the Civil War and later a staple of Wild West saloons. Poker is played with chips and usually has a minimum ante or bet, then players are dealt cards. The best hand wins the pot.

When you first start playing poker, it is helpful to have a good understanding of the rules and betting strategy before playing for real money. There are a number of free online courses available that will help you learn the game. These courses will teach you the basic rules of poker and walk you through sample hands to demonstrate how different scenarios can play out.

For example, say you have a pair of kings off the deal, and the dealer deals three other cards face up on the table. These are called the flop. The other players can then assess their cards and decide if they should raise or fold.

As you continue to play poker, it is important to look beyond your own cards and try to figure out what the other players have. This requires a lot of mental energy, but it is the key to becoming a winning player. The better you can think about the other players’ moves, the better your own decisions will be. This is not easy, but it is a huge part of what separates beginners from pros. If you want to win, you need to make the other players think about their hands as much as you do.