When you play poker, you’re trying to make a hand with cards that will rank high enough to win the pot. There are many ways to do this, but the most important thing is understanding your opponent’s range of hands and what you need to beat them to win. This is what the professionals do, and it’s one of the most critical parts of the game.

There are also a number of other rules that you should learn to keep the game fair and fun for everyone. These include the basics of betting, folding, and staying in a hand until a showdown. If you need to take a break to use the restroom, get another drink, or make a phone call, it’s polite to sit out the next hand and let someone else have the chance to play.

Before each hand begins, players buy in for a certain amount of chips. There are usually white chips, which are worth the minimum ante, and red chips that are worth either five whites or 10 whites. A blue chip is sometimes used to represent a bet of 20 or 25 whites. Each player should be able to see how much their opponents are betting, and it’s rude to hide your betting by hiding your chips behind your back or interfering with other players.

Once all the players have their 2 hole cards, there is a round of betting, initiated by two mandatory bets called blinds placed into the pot by the two players to the left of the dealer. Once all the bets are in, everyone gets a chance to check, raise, or fold their hand.

A third card is dealt face up, this is called the flop. There is another round of betting, and then a fourth card is dealt face up, this is the turn. Again, there is a final round of betting and then the players with the highest ranked poker hand win the pot.

When deciding which hands to play, you should always fold any that have low odds of winning. This means that you should never play a pair of unsuited low cards, even if they have a good kicker. Also, it’s not a good idea to play any hands that don’t have an ace in them. This is a great way to keep your opponent’s range of possible hands low and increase your chances of winning.