Beginner’s Guide to Poker
Poker is a game that requires skill and strategy, and it also tests your math and probability skills. Although luck plays a role in your success, players who understand the game and know how to play it well will win more often than those who do not.
Each player antes something (amount varies by game) and is then dealt cards. After that, the betting round begins. Typically, the highest hand wins the pot. Some games have a designated dealer that is not a player and who takes turns shuffling the deck and dealing cards to each player. In these cases, a special chip is used to indicate who is the dealer.
If you want to stay in the hand, you must place chips or cash into the pot equal to or greater than the amount placed by the player before you. This is known as calling. If you raise the previous player’s bet, this is known as raising.
As a beginner, it is important to avoid playing crazy hands. Generally speaking, beginners should only play the top 20% to 15% of hands in a six-player game. This will keep your losses down and your bankroll growing over time.
Watch other players at your table and learn to read their tells. This doesn’t have to be the obvious physical tells you might expect, but it can be a player’s habit of fiddling with their chips or a ring, how quickly they call a bet, or how they act when they are holding an unbeatable hand.
