Poker is a game of skill and luck where players place bets against one another based on the value of their cards. A player must usually “ante” a minimum amount, often a dollar or more, to get dealt a hand of cards and then place the rest of their bets into a central pot. The player with the highest hand wins the pot. Players use chips (normally made of ceramic or plastic) instead of actual cash, to make their bets. Depending on the game, each chip may be worth a different amount of money.

If you aren’t comfortable placing your bets with the chips you have, you can use a paper-thin wad of money to cover the amount you want to bet. When it comes time for your turn, you can say “call” to add the same amount of money as the person betting before you or raise by saying “raise.” Regardless of how you bet, it’s important to play only with money that you are comfortable losing.

As you continue playing poker, you’ll be able to identify conservative players from aggressive ones by the way they play their hands. Conservative players tend to fold early and can be bluffed into staying in their hands by more experienced players. Aggressive players will bet high early in a hand and are harder to read. Both types will lose money, but it’s a matter of how much. The key is to learn from your mistakes and keep improving your game.