There are many variations of poker, but most of them involve forcing players to make a bet (the ante or blind). After the bets are made the dealer shuffles and deals cards to each player one at a time beginning with the person to their left. The cards may be dealt face up or down depending on the game.
When you get your first card, you can say stay or hit. If you have a good hand and want to bet more money, you can raise. This forces weaker hands to fold and increases the value of your hand.
A strong poker hand should be raised to keep the competition from getting too low a price on your hand. However, if you think your hand isn’t worth a bet, it’s often better to check instead. This will allow the other players to bet higher and increase the size of the pot.
Practice playing poker and watch experienced players to develop quick instincts. The more you play and observe, the easier it will be to figure out what type of hands people are holding when they bet. This will help you make educated guesses about the type of poker hand you should be trying to beat in order to win more often. Inexperienced players will often try to put an opponent on a particular hand, but more experienced players will work out the range of possible hands that their opponents could be holding.