The game of poker has many variants, but they all revolve around being dealt cards and betting over a series of rounds until one player wins a showdown. It is important for beginners to understand the basics of starting hands and position to help them make better decisions throughout their games. Once a player has mastered these basic concepts, they can begin to explore more advanced strategies and poker lingo.

When you are first dealt two cards, you should always check if the card that you want to keep is of high value or not. If you decide that it is, then you should say stay. If it is not, then you should say hit. This will allow other players to see that you have a good hand and will force them to fold or bet big.

Once the betting round is complete, three more cards are dealt in the center of the table. These are called community cards and everyone can use them. After this a second betting round takes place.

Once the betting is over, whoever has the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. There may be rules for how this money is shared among the players at the table. For example, it can be agreed upon before the game starts that any chips left in the kitty are to be split evenly between all players still in the game. This is to ensure that the game continues even if a few players lose.