Poker is a card game played between two or more players and contested by placing chips (representing money, for which the game is almost always played) into a common pot. The player with the best hand wins. The game is governed by the rules of the specific variant being played.
To play poker you will need to know the following terms:
Fold – If you have a weak hand, don’t be afraid to fold and save your chips for another hand. This will keep your opponents guessing as to what you have.
Bet – When the player to your left raises, you can say “call” to put in the same amount of money as them and continue on to the next betting round. You should only call if you think that you have a strong hand.
Range – The range is the number of possible hands that an opponent could have. This is worked out by multiplying the ranks of their cards and dividing it by 13. This will give you a number that represents the chance that they have a certain hand.
Bluff – From the way that poker is portrayed on TV, it might seem like bluffing should be a big part of your strategy but it’s important to remember that bluffing should only be used sparingly and strategically. The smaller the pot, the less risk there is involved in bluffing but you still need to be careful not to get carried away and end up losing your entire bankroll.