Poker is a game of chance played with cards. The player who makes the best hand wins all of the money in the pot.
There are several forms of poker, including Texas hold ’em, Omaha, and Seven-card stud. All involve a round of betting, in which the players use their hole cards to make the best 5-card poker hand. The best poker hands are five of a kind, and ties are broken by the highest unmatched card or secondary pair (in a full house [a five-card hand made up of three of a kind and a pair], for example).
Betting rules vary from casino to casino. In some places, betting is based on the size of the antes, while in others it is a fixed amount per bet.
Play conservatively – aggressive players will often bet high early in the hand. This makes them easy to spot by the more experienced players, but it will also mean you have to watch your betting and bet accordingly!
Learn their tells – watch their eye movements, idiosyncrasies and hand gestures. These will give you valuable insight into how they are thinking and playing their hands.
Position is Important – Acting last gives you the advantage of a lot of information. This gives you an edge in bluffing and value bets.
Don’t Get Attached to Good Hands – pocket kings and queens are great hands, but they can easily be destroyed by an ace on the flop. The same applies to flushes and straights.