A game of poker involves betting. It is a game of chance, but it also involves a lot of skill and psychology. It is a game that can be difficult to master but that is well worth the effort.
There are usually forced bets (antes or blinds) placed into the pot before players receive their cards. These bets are a good way to ensure that players have an incentive to play their hands.
After the ante and blind bets have been made, the dealer shuffles the deck of cards, the player on the right of the dealer cuts, and the cards are dealt one at a time starting with the player to the left of the dealer. Players may discard cards or keep them, and there are several rounds of betting. The winner of the last betting round takes all the bets in the pot/central pot.
Observe other players carefully to understand their tendencies and tells. Try to read their eye movements, idiosyncrasies, betting behavior etc. You can even get a clue about their hand from watching the way they discard their cards.
Whenever you have a strong hand, bet it aggressively. This will make weaker players fold and will raise the value of your pot. Also, if you have a great bluff, try to bet early in the preflop phase so that the other players will know it is a bluff and won’t call it. Then you can bet bigger later on, if necessary.