Poker is a card game played from a standard pack of 52 cards (although some games use multiple packs or add wild cards). Each player has two cards that are ranked the same and three unrelated side cards. The highest pair wins the hand. In the event of a tie, the highest card breaks the tie (ace high).
A pair consists of 2 cards of one rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A flush contains 5 cards of consecutive rank, all from the same suit. A straight consists of 5 cards that skip around in rank but do not have to be in order.
Position is very important in poker. The closer to the dealer you are, the better your bluffing opportunities will be because you have more information than your opponents. This will allow you to open your range more often with strong hands pre-flop.
A big part of the game is reading your opponents and understanding their tendencies. This will help you make good decisions when betting and raising. It’s also a good idea to get into some poker forums and Discord groups where you can learn from other players who are willing to share their knowledge. This will help you to develop good instincts and improve your game much faster than just trying to memorize tricky systems.