Poker is a card game in which players place bets into a common pot. The highest ranking hand wins the pot (the total amount of money placed into the pot in a single hand). If the player is bluffing, they may win even if they don’t have the best hand.
Players start the game by ‘anteing’ some amount of money, typically a small amount like a nickel, just to get dealt cards. Once they have their cards, players then bet into the pot in a clockwise direction. When betting comes around to the player in the late position, they can raise or fold their hand.
A “hand” is a combination of five cards. The higher the hand rank, the more likely it is to win the pot. A full house is a three of a kind and two matching cards. A flush is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight is five cards in a sequence, but different suits. A high card breaks ties.
The game is simple: a player puts in a bet that they have the best hand, and other players either call the bet or concede. The player with the best hand wins the pot, or they may bluff and win by scaring other players into calling their bet. There is always a risk involved with any bet, but the rewards can be substantial. In life, as in poker, it’s not always the strongest or smartest that wins, but the one who doesn’t give up.