A card game with a long history of varying rules and tactics, poker is primarily a game of chance but also has considerable skill and psychology. It’s easy to see why it has become so popular and why many people feel compelled to try their hand at this fascinating game.
In the simplest form, players compete to have the best five-card poker hand by combining their personal cards with the community cards on the table. Each player must also make bets to encourage other players to call, raise or fold. A poker game is a fun and rewarding way to spend an evening with friends or a group of strangers.
Before any cards are dealt, each player must put in chips equal to or greater than the amount staked by the players before him. This is called the ante and is the first step in making money at the poker table. It also sets the level of competition in the poker game and creates a pot for each hand.
Once the antes are in, the dealer deals three cards face up on the table that everyone can use (the “flop”). This is another betting round and if you have a strong poker hand this is a good time to call or raise. You should know that a high straight beats a low one and that a pair of kings is better than two of the same rank.
When the betting is over and there are no more calls or raises, the dealer puts a fourth card on the board that anyone can use (the “turn”). This is again a betting round and this time your luck may change.
After the flop and the turn have been placed and the last betting is done, it’s showdown time. The highest poker hand wins the pot. Usually, this will be a straight or a flush but a full house or a pair of fours can win too.
A full house consists of 3 matching cards of 1 rank and 2 matching cards of another rank. A flush consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight consists of 5 cards that skip around in rank but are all from the same suit. A three of a kind is made up of three cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards.
Poker math is not a necessity but it will help you make the best decisions at the poker table. You can start off by doing simple arithmetic in your head or you can download this workbook which will help you internalize the calculations and build your intuition over time. The goal is to get these concepts ingrained in your poker brain so they become automatic considerations during the hands you play. Click here to purchase the workbook today!