In poker, players bet into a pot in the middle of the table. Each player must either call (put into the pot at least as many chips as the player before them) or raise the bet (put in more than enough to call). Then, everyone else can fold if they don’t want to participate anymore. The highest hand wins the pot.
Getting familiar with the game’s basic rules is essential to becoming an efficient poker player. But that’s not the only thing you need to know to make money at the tables.
You also need to be able to read other players and their tells. Tells can be anything from a person’s eye movements to their idiosyncrasies in the way they play and fiddle with their chips. For example, if an opponent who frequently calls raises suddenly, that’s likely because they are holding an unbeatable hand.
Another essential skill is understanding poker odds. While it’s true that most poker hands are good or bad only in relation to what the other player is holding, there are some exceptions. For instance, pocket kings are a strong hand but if the flop is A-A your kings will be losers 82% of the time. The same applies to pocket queens if the board is loaded with flush cards or straights. Luckily, there are plenty of incredible resources that can help you learn the math behind poker odds and understand how to make better decisions at the table.