Learn the game through free play on a poker site and don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Every mistake you learn from is another brick in a foundation of poker knowledge you’ll build over years and decades of play.

You can call a bet by saying “call.” This means that you want to place your chips or cash in the pot to match the last person’s raise. You can also raise your own bet by saying “raise.” This means you want to put more money in the pot than the last person raised.

If you have a good poker hand, say “showdown.” This means that you’re ready to put your cards into the pot and compete for the prize. If you have a bad poker hand, say “fold.” This is the end of your turn and you won’t be betting any more.

When you have a good poker hand, watch other players closely. Look for tells, which are nervous habits that let you know what a player has in his or her hands. You can also read a player’s betting patterns to see what kind of hand they think they have. Aggressive players usually don’t stay in a hand very long, while conservative players tend to fold early on.

After the flop is dealt, you’ll have 3 community cards in the center of the table and a new betting round begins. The third stage of a poker hand is called the turn, and it reveals a fourth community card. The final betting round is the river, and it reveals the fifth and final community card.