Poker became more popular early in the 21st century, largely because it was made available online and broadcasted on television. The invention of the hole-card camera made it possible to follow the action and drama, and poker tournaments drew large audiences. Poker is played in hundreds of variants, but the game play is generally the same across them.

The game begins with players placing an ante, which is a small amount of money into the pot. Each player is then dealt two cards that they can use, and five community cards are brought out for everyone to see. Players take turns betting on their hand, and the player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot.

Each player can either call the bet (put in the same number of chips as the player who raised it) or raise the bet (put in more money than the player before them). A player can also fold, which means they do not put any chips into the pot and are out of the round.

When learning poker, it is important to play a lot of hands and make lots of mistakes. Every mistake you make can be a brick in the foundation of knowledge that will help you get better over time. It is also crucial to learn the basics of the game, such as poker hand rankings and how to manage your bankroll. It is also helpful to study the playing styles of experienced poker players and try to emulate their strategies.