The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game with an emphasis on betting. Each player has two cards, and the aim is to form the highest ranked five card hand using these, along with five community cards. The person with the best hand wins the pot, which is all of the chips that have been bet during the round.

A key part of the game is analyzing your opponents for tells. This is easier in live games where you can watch body language, but even when playing online it is possible to learn a lot about your opponents by studying how they play. For example, if you notice that a certain player is always raising the pot when they have a strong value hand, you can take advantage of this by making sure to play your own hands as straightforwardly as possible.

You start a hand by ‘anteing up’ something (the amount varies by game, our games are typically a nickel) and then the players get dealt two cards. Then a third card is dealt face up, called the flop. There is then a round of betting, starting with the two players to the left of the dealer.

The highest ranked hand wins the pot, which is all of your own bets and the raises you’ve made against your opponents. The second highest ranked hand wins the pot if there is a tie. If no one has a winning hand, the players with the most money split the pot evenly.