Poker is a game of chance, but it also requires a good deal of skill and psychology. This article is meant to be a primer into the game and if you are looking for more information, I recommend getting a book on poker (or playing with a group of people who know how).
In Poker, each player is dealt five cards and then places an initial amount in the pot. These are called forced bets and can come in the form of antes, blinds or bring-ins. Once the bets are in, a round of betting takes place and the player with the best hand wins the pot.
A winning hand in Poker is made up of any four cards of the same rank or three cards of the same suit in sequence. There are also other combinations such as a full house, which contains 3 cards of the same rank and 2 matching cards of another rank or a straight, which has 5 consecutive cards of the same suit but from different suits.
A successful Poker player will play only the hands that are most likely to win and will limit their losses to the maximum amount they can afford to lose. This is called bankroll management and it is an essential part of the game. It is also important to remember that it can take a while for a player to build up a large enough bankroll to play at higher stakes.