Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involves betting. It is a game that requires skill, luck and psychology. Although poker has some element of chance, it is a game that can be learned and mastered by anyone willing to put in the time and effort to study it. The first step in learning the rules is to practice in a small stakes environment. This will help preserve your bankroll while allowing you to work on the parts of your game that need improvement. It is also important to find a poker community to be a part of. Finding a group of people that will be willing to talk through hands with you and give you honest feedback about your play can make the process much faster and help you improve more quickly.
The basic rules of poker involve one or more bets per round, with raising and re-raising allowed. Each player buys in for a certain amount of chips at the beginning of the game. These chips are typically divided into units (usually white) and values (for example a white chip is worth the minimum ante amount; a red chip is worth five whites).
A dealer deals two cards to each player, face down. Then a series of cards are dealt face up in three stages, the first is called the flop and the second is called the turn. Finally the final card is revealed in a round known as the river. The best five card hand wins.