Learn How to Play Poker With a Friend
The game of poker is one that requires a lot of thought, strategy and luck. It is not like learning music or sports where the long term process of study and practice leads to success, in poker the short-term results are much more important and can lead to misperceptions about your ability and your progress. This is why it’s a good idea to learn poker with friends who can help you through the ups and downs.
Once everyone has their two cards there is a round of betting that is initiated by 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by players to the left of the dealer. This creates a pot and encourages competition.
After the betting has taken place, another card is dealt face up. The player with the highest poker hand wins the pot.
A poker hand consists of 5 cards of the same suit (aces, kings, queens, jacks and tens) or 5 consecutive cards of the same rank (straight). The high poker hand is called a flush.
Three of a kind is made up of 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 unmatched cards of another rank. Two pair is made up of 2 cards of the same rank and 3 other unmatched cards.
The players decide how to play each hand. Some players choose to raise their bets with strong hands while others check and wait for a better opportunity to bluff. This way of playing allows the player to win with weak hands and lose with strong ones, if they are careful about when they choose to bluff.
