Poker is a game played by two to seven players with one or more decks of cards. Each player places a bet (in the form of chips) into the pot when they have a hand. During the hand, players can either call or fold. The player with the highest ranked poker hand when all bets are called wins the “pot” – all of the money that has been put into play for that particular hand.
After all players have their two hole cards there is a round of betting that begins with the player to the left of the dealer. Once this bet is completed the dealer deals three additional cards face-up on the table that everyone can use (the community cards). There is another round of betting and once it’s over the dealer puts a final card in the middle that you can use (called the river) and then the showdown happens.
There are a lot of things to learn when you play poker but the most important thing is not to bet too often. If you bet too much your opponents will know what you are holding and you won’t be able to bluff effectively.
A good poker strategy involves knowing what the other players have and working out the range of hands that they could be holding. If you can work out the range then you can work out how likely it is that your hand will beat theirs and decide whether or not to bet aggressively. You will often hear commentators on the World Series of Poker gush over a great player who ‘lays down’ a strong hand that they know has been beaten, this is an example of a good poker strategy in action.