Poker is a game of chance and skill, but it’s also a great way to win money. It can be played socially for a few pennies or matchsticks, or professionally at renowned casinos.

The underlying skill in poker is to minimize losses with bad hands and maximize winnings with good ones. This means that you have to know how to play your cards, and also understand how other players are playing.

When you’re playing, you have three basic options: fold, call, and raise. All of these are used at different times during the game.

Check: In some variations of poker, during a betting round, a player can “check” the pot if they do not wish to bet any further. If another player raises the bet, however, every other player has to call the new raise or fold.

Bluffing: In poker, it is common to bluff other players. This means that you make a bet or raise that no other player calls, and then win the pot without showing your hand.

Pairs: A pair of cards is 2 cards of matching rank, like two aces. It’s usually a good idea to make two pairs when playing, since you’ll usually have more chances of winning if you do.

Straight: A straight is five cards in sequential order, with no more than one card of each suit. It’s usually a good idea in poker to play as many of these as possible, because they are often easy to conceal, and they’ll give you the best odds against your opponents.