Poker is a card game with a lot of moving parts. It may not be as intricate as chess, but it’s still a fascinating game with rules, strategies and an element of luck that can either bolster or tank even a good player. And while it’s not as social as a board game like monopoly, there are some perks to playing poker in the company of others.
Once all players have two hole cards, a round of betting begins. The first two players to the left of the dealer make mandatory bets called “blind bets” and then each player can choose whether to fold, call or raise a bet.
The player with the best hand wins the pot, which is the total amount of money bet in the round. There are three more rounds of betting after the flop, turn and river (the fourth and fifth essential community cards). Each player can say “call” to continue raising as they play their hand, or they can say “raise” to bet a larger amount than the last person.
The way a player says and does things at the table can tell you a lot about their strength of hand or bluffing intent. A player can also pick up “tells” on other players by looking at their hands, posture and facial expressions.