Poker is a game of chance in which players compete to place chips (representing money) into a pot, which is shared by all active players. Unlike other games of chance, poker involves a large amount of risk in which each player makes decisions without knowing the outcome beforehand. Players seek to control the size of the pot through strategic betting.
The first player to act in a betting interval places the first bet, and every player must either match that bet or fold. If a player raises, the dealer “burns” the top card of the deck and puts it face down out of play, meaning that no new cards will be dealt to anyone until this betting round is over.
Once the betting has occurred, all players who have not folded advance to a new betting interval, known as the flop. The dealer deals the flop cards, placing them in the center of the table. The flop begins the next betting round and players may now increase the previous bet by any amount.
A good poker player knows how to bet properly. If he or she has a strong value hand, the last player to act can bet to inflate the pot size and receive better odds. However, the last player to act should be careful not to overbet a weak hand that can easily be called by an aggressive opponent. This type of mistake is often made by new players who are eager to show aggression but miss opportunities to win with moderate risk.