Poker is a game of cards where players take turns betting on their hands. The skill involved in this game is to minimize losses with poor hands and maximize wins with good ones. It is also a game of psychology, as the players must gauge the intentions of the other players, including bluffing.

The game starts with each player contributing a sum of money into the pot (or “raising”) to start the betting. After this, each player is dealt two cards face down, which they keep hidden from the other players. Then three more cards are dealt face up at the center of the table, which are called the flop and become community cards that can be used by all players to make their final 5-card hands.

Players must now choose to call, raise, or fold their hand. If they decide to raise, they must match the previous player’s bet or more. If they decide to fold, they forfeit any chips that were put into the pot and must drop out of the betting until the next deal.

It’s important to focus on pacing when writing about poker, as this can help maintain the tension of the scene. If you describe too many details of card draws, bets and reveals, it will feel lame or gimmicky. Instead, try to focus more on the other aspects of a scene like what the players were thinking or how they reacted to the cards.