The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game in which players place bets and then reveal their cards. The best hand wins the pot. The game is usually played with a standard deck of 52 cards; some games may use multiple packs or add wild cards. The cards are ranked (high to low) as Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 5, 4, 3, 2; each suit has a rank, but no suit is higher than another. Typically, the highest ranking hand wins; but players can also win by bluffing and putting out high-low hands.

Bets are placed into a “pot” in the middle of the table, and when it is your turn to bet you can either call or raise. The goal of poker is to win the pot by raising other player’s bets to a level where they will fold their hand or call your bet, and then bluff or make a good hand.

You deal yourself a pair of kings off the flop (Ks-Kd-Jd-5c-3d). You decide to call (put a dime into the pot). Then Charley calls, then Dennis raises a dime. You have to make a decent hand now or go home!

To play poker well you need quick instincts. Practice and watch experienced players to develop those instincts. Observe the tells of players to get an idea of their intentions; for example, a player who blinks a lot might be trying to hide nervousness. If a player puts a lot of money into the pot, this is called bluffing.