Poker is a card game that involves betting and raising by the player with the best hand. It is often seen as a game of chance and luck, but this view ignores the skill involved in making good bets and calls. Many break-even beginner players could make a few small adjustments that would enable them to win at a much higher clip, and this is mainly down to starting to look at the game in a more cold, detached, mathematical, and logical way.
In the standard 53-card pack there are four deuces (2s), one-eyes (jack of spades) and the joker (ace of diamonds). These cards count as wild and can be used in a flush, straight or special hands.
After the initial shuffling and cutting (by the player on the dealer’s left) the dealer deals each player two cards face up. Then the first of what may be several rounds of betting begins.
Each player can then either call the bet made by another player or fold. A player with a strong poker hand can also raise the bet, but must do so within certain limits. For example, a player cannot raise the bet by more than is in the pot at that time. This is called ‘pot limit’. It is important to understand these rules before you play. Otherwise you will find yourself making bad bets and losing money. For this reason, it is recommended that you read about the rules of poker before playing.
