Poker is a card game that is enjoyed all over the world. It can be played socially for pennies or matchsticks or professionally for thousands of dollars. In Poker, luck plays a large role but great skill is required as well.
In a normal Poker game, each player has two cards that are his or her own to work with along with five community cards revealed by the dealer. The object is to create a high-ranking hand of 5 cards, either by drawing additional cards or by betting on your own hand’s strength. In the latter case, if you are able to get your opponents to surrender their own strong hands by bluffing then you win.
Before the cards are dealt, each player must place a bet of at least the amount of the blind or ante. When it is your turn, you can choose to call (match) the bet made by the person to your left or raise it. If you call, then you must continue to bet in subsequent rounds until you either drop out or have the best hand.
While some players prefer to play conservatively by always folding before the flop, most serious players like to increase their wagers as the game progresses, especially if they are bluffing. The tells in Poker are often subtle. Watch for signs such as shallow breathing, sighing, nostril flaring, blinking excessively and an increasing pulse in the neck or temple.
