Poker is a game in which players combine their private hands with the cards in the community pot to create the strongest hand possible. The best hand wins the pot. The rules of poker are simple and straightforward.
Before starting a poker session, every player must “buy in” by placing a fixed number of chips into the ante pool. The ante amount is decided by the table and is usually a small bet, like $1 or $5.
Once everyone has their ante, the dealer deals two cards to each player and keeps them secret from everyone else. Each player will then look at their cards and decide whether or not to bet.
Betting is a key part of poker because it can help you win more money than calling. New poker players tend to call a lot, which is understandable, but it can also cost you money.
The best way to improve your poker skills is by reading about the game and learning about how the poker table works. Then, you can apply what you learn to your game.
A good place to start is with a free online course called The One Percent. This course will teach you a solid understanding of the game and how to use math to your advantage. It will also help you build your intuition for things like frequencies and EV estimation. These are critical to winning at poker and will be a huge help in improving your overall strategy.
