Poker is a card game that is played with money. Players must ante something (amount varies by game, in ours it’s a nickel) to get dealt cards and then each player can raise in turn. The highest hand wins the pot. There’s a lot of skill to poker when you’re betting, and it requires good reading of the table and opponents.
Say “raise” if you want to put in more than the other players, in order to compete for the winning hand. This also means you’re not going to call a bet.
The dealer puts a fifth card on the board, which everyone can use. Then you bet again, in turn, until someone folds or the hand is over.
It’s important to remember that it’s not necessarily the best hand that wins. It’s often the one that is played best that wins. For example, three kings might be a strong hand, but you’ll only win if people believe it to be a bad hand, and this is why good bluffing skills are so important.
You can say “call” if you think your hand is strong enough to make it worth continuing, but not so strong that it’s not worth trying to bluff with. This is an extremely important part of your strategy, especially when you’re playing against more experienced players. Position is also very important, because it gives you more information than your opponents and makes bluffing much easier.