Players begin the game with 2 cards face down and a round of betting begins after they receive these cards. Then 1 more card is dealt face up and a new round of betting begins. Each player must make a bet (called a blind bet) before they are allowed to see their own card.
Each player must decide whether to stay in the hand based on the odds of making the best possible 5-card hand. The best hand is a royal flush, which consists of 5 matching cards of one rank. A straight contains 5 consecutive cards of one suit. 3 of a kind is made up of three cards of the same rank. Two pair is made up of 2 cards of the same rank and two other unmatched cards.
A good poker player must be able to read other players at the table. There is a wide variety of players, from the recreational player who isn’t afraid to lose money to the hard-core nit who thinks it’s a sin to admit that someone might be smarter or stronger than them.
