Poker is a card game in which players wager money on a complete hand that is revealed after a single round of betting. It’s an intensely social game where winning involves bluffing and putting your opponent on the wrong foot.

A round begins with the player to the left of the button placing an ante (or blind bet). This happens before the players are dealt their cards. Players can check, call, raise or fold during this phase of the hand.

After the antes and blind bets have been placed, three community cards open up on the table, known as the Flop. From this point onwards, the players have a better idea of their strength and can act accordingly.

Player 1 can choose to check in order to extract value from weaker hands, or they could bet in the hopes of scaring their opponents into folding their strong straight or flush draws. They can also raise in order to increase the size of the pot and force out weaker hands.

A player can also choose to bluff at this stage, but they must be careful not to make it too obvious. If they do this, they may risk exposing their hand and losing the pot to an opponent with a good read. The best way to maximise profits is to play a strong starting hand and make the most of bluffing opportunities. This strategy is known as MinMax – Minimise losses, Maximise wins.