There are many forms of poker, but it is generally a game played by two to 10 players. Players are each given “chips” (representing money) and a hand of cards. Each player aims to make the best five card “hand” from a combination of their own two cards and the community cards. The highest hand wins the pot. There are rules for how this winning is shared among the players at the table.
When it’s your turn to bet, you can say “call” to match the amount of the last player’s bet, or you can say “raise” to increase the size of your bet. When betting is complete, the players reveal their hands to each other. The person with the highest poker hand wins the pot.
Often, you can add drama to your story by describing the bets and raises as they happen. But remember that most readers won’t be interested in the actual mechanics of a poker game. They’ll be looking to see what happens when your protagonist faces the opponent and decides whether or not to call a bet.
The first step in writing a great scene is to decide the objective of the scene and what sort of conflict it will involve. Keeping this in mind, you can focus on what will make the scene interesting for your reader and make it compelling. In most cases, focusing on character reactions (who flinched, who smiled) and the by-play between the players is more important than a detailed description of the exact cards dealt.
