Poker is hugely popular and for good reason – it’s a social game that can be played for money or just for fun; it requires both skill and luck to win; and it’s a great way to spend time with friends. If you’re thinking about learning to play, here are some helpful tips to get you started:
Start with the basics
Almost all forms of poker feature a compulsory bet at the beginning of each hand known as the “ante.” Whether you’re playing in person at home or in a bricks-and-mortar casino, this bet is usually double the size of the small blind and is made by the player to the left of the dealer. Then, players receive two cards each and form a five-card poker hand using their own personal cards and the community cards on the table. The highest-ranking poker hand wins the pot, which can be either money or a fixed number of chips.
Most forms of poker also allow players to draw replacement cards for their current ones if they believe their hands are not strong enough. The dealer will then reveal the remaining five cards and each player can decide to hit (play a stronger hand), stay (keep the current one) or double up.
Before the deal begins, each player buys in by exchanging cash for poker chips of various values – the white chip is worth the minimum ante/blind, while the red and blue chips are valued at 10 and 20 whites, respectively. The dealer then shuffles the deck, cuts it and distributes them to the players in a clockwise direction.
Each player must place their chips into the pot in order to call a bet, or raise it. The player to the left of the player calling a bet can choose to call by matching that amount with their own chips, or they can fold their hand and exit the betting round. When a player folds, they don’t put any more chips into the pot and are out of the game until the next deal.
When you’re starting out, it’s a good idea to watch poker videos and read online articles about the rules and strategies of the game. This will give you a visual representation of the theoretical knowledge you’ve gained through your online research and help you to develop a more practical understanding of the game. You can find a wide variety of educational videos on poker online, including those from Doug Polk Poker, Joe Ingram and Andrew Neeme. These resources will also provide you with valuable tips and tricks to improve your own poker game.