Poker is a card game in which players place bets to win the pot – the sum of all bets placed during a hand. This is done by playing a strong poker hand or bluffing with weak hands.
There are many different poker variants and the rules of each vary slightly but the basic principles remain the same. During each betting round (known as a ‘street’) one player, designated by the rules of the particular poker variant being played, has the right or obligation to make an opening bet. Then, in turn, players can either call (match the highest bet already made) or raise it – this is called a ‘raise’. Alternatively, players can choose to fold (sliding their cards away face-down) their hand.
The five community cards are dealt to all players and they can use them in any combination with their two private ones to form a poker hand. There are a number of categories of poker hands and a hand of a certain category beats any lower hand of the same type.
Knowing how to read opponents is a critical skill in poker. The key is to look for patterns and not just subtle physical tells like scratching your nose or fidgeting with your chips. For example, a player who always calls the last raise is probably a risk-taker and you may be able to bluff them into folding their weaker hands. Conversely, a player who is very conservative will rarely make high bets and can be bluffed into folding their good hands.