krysten-ritter

Poker is a card game that requires both luck and skill to win. Over time the application of skill will virtually eliminate the variance associated with luck. However, it takes a long time to master the basic rules and hand rankings. To improve your chances of winning you should spend a lot of time studying poker.

At the beginning of the game each player purchases a certain number of poker chips. Each chip has a different color and represents a value. For example a white chip is worth the minimum ante or bet amount, a blue chip is worth 20 or 25 white chips, and a red chip is worth five white chips. After all players have bought in the dealer deals 3 cards face up on the table that anyone can use (this is called the flop). After another round of betting the dealer deals one more card face up (this is called the turn) and then one final card (the river) that everyone can use. The player with the best 5 card poker hand wins all the bets made at each of the previous rounds.

When it is your turn to act you must decide whether to call, raise or fold. Saying “call” means that you will raise the amount of the last bet. For example if the person to your left raised $10 you would say “I call” and put $10 in the pot. The higher your bet the more likely it is that you will have a good hand. Advanced players also try to read the range of hands that their opponents have. This can be done by learning their opponents’ tells such as eye movements, idiosyncrasies, hand gestures, betting behavior etc.