The Basics of Poker
Poker is a card game where players bet on the strength of their hands. It has hundreds of variations but they all follow the same basic principles. The objective is to win the pot (the sum of money bet in the round) by making the best five-card hand. Players must bet in order to stay in the hand; if they don’t want to bet anymore, they can fold. In each round of betting, there are four actions: before the flop, after the flop, after the turn, and after the river. Players can fold, check (no bet), call or raise.
The best hand is the highest pair with a high card, which breaks ties. Other possible hands are three of a kind, straight, flush and one pair with a high card.
There are a few key elements to understanding Poker, but it really boils down to the Goldilocks zone of opponent perception: hating you but not loving you. This is the place to be as a professional; you want other players to be aware of how good you are while simultaneously not caring too much about your bottom line and wanting to see you play well.
The first thing to understand is position. The later you are, the less risk you have to take and the more information you have about your opponents’ actions. This makes it easier to know when to bet and how much to bet. You also need to understand how a player’s body language can reveal whether they have a strong or weak hand.