There are many different ways to play poker, but the main idea is that you place bets into a pot with other players. This is done by placing chips in front of you and other players that represent your contribution to the pot. You can call, raise, or fold based on your own card hand and the cards of other players. You can also win by bluffing, betting that you have a good or better hand than other players and getting them to call your bet.
The first round is called the pre-flop, and it is when you place your bets into the pot before any of the cards are dealt. After the pre-flop, the dealer deals three cards that everyone can use. These are called community cards and are known as the flop. After the flop there is another betting round. After the second betting round is over, the dealer places a fourth community card on the table that anyone can use, which is known as the turn.
After the turn, there is one final betting round before the showdown (when the player with the best poker hand wins). To help make sure that players are not making big bets with a bad hand, there is usually a limit on how much you can bet during each betting interval. For example, in fixed-limit games, a player may not bet more than two chips during the pre-flop, one chip during the flop and river and four chips during the post-flop.