The Basics of Poker
Poker is a card game where players compete against each other to create the best five-card hand. The highest hand wins the pot. There are countless variations of the game, but most have some essential characteristics in common.
Dealing cards:
The dealer deals the cards in clockwise order, one at a time. When all the players have been dealt, the next person to the left of the dealer gets the chance to deal.
Betting rounds:
Each betting round starts with everyone checking their hands. Once everyone has checked, a player may call (match the previous bet) or fold.
When a player calls, the player adds to their bet by placing money in the pot. The remaining players must then match the new bet or fold.
River:
The dealer places a fifth card on the board, and once again, everyone gets a chance to bet/check/raise/fold. If more than one player is still in the hand after the river, then the cards are exposed and the winner takes the pot.
Short deck:
This is a fun and exciting variant of poker that has become popular in high-stakes cash games and tournament series in recent years. The short deck makes for an extremely fast-paced game that is easy to learn.
The key to winning a poker game is to understand your opponent’s hand strength. There are many factors that can help you with this, such as the time your opponent took to make a decision, their bet sizing, and their stack size.