Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each player has five cards and the player with the best hand wins. The highest ranking hand is the Royal Flush (A, K, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit); the straight flush is five cards in a sequence, all in the same suit; four of a kind is four cards of the same number or picture; and a pair is two identical cards.<\/p>\n
At the start of a hand one player makes a blind bet and everyone else has a choice to call or fold. If the players still in the hand decide to play they must raise the bet amount. If they do not then they must fold their cards and leave the game.<\/p>\n
The dealer then deals three cards face up on the table that are community cards, available to all players. This is called the flop. After a round of betting the dealer puts a fourth card on the board, again a community card that can be used by all players.<\/p>\n
Position is very important in poker. It gives you \u201cbluff equity\u201d \u2013 the ability to make cheap and effective bluffs. It also allows you to make accurate value bets based on the strength of your hand. It is easy for your opponents to read your hands but some are easier than others. For example, if you have pocket fives and the flop is A-8-5 then people will expect your hand to be very strong.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"