Poker is a game where players place chips (representing money) in a pot and the player with the best hand wins. The cards are dealt in a clockwise fashion, and each player has the chance to make a bet during his turn. He can either raise or call. He may also choose to discard his cards and draw new ones from the deck. The discarded cards are then reshuffled and placed back in the draw stack.

There are many different poker games and rules. In some, the joker counts as a fifth ace and in others it doesn’t. The game is usually played with a standard 53 card pack including the joker.

One of the most important things to remember when you are learning poker is that it’s OK to fold. Beginner players often believe that they must play every hand because they’ve put a large amount of money in the pot. They don’t realize that folding can actually be a winning move.

The first round of betting takes place with the players that have the best poker hand showing their cards. This is called the Showdown.

After the first round of betting is over the dealer places three more cards on the table that anyone can use. These are known as the flop. A good flop will give you very strong poker hands, such as pocket kings or queens. But beware of an ace on the flop as it can spell trouble for your pocket pair.