Poker is a card game involving betting and wagering of chips, called “money.” While the outcome of any particular hand depends on chance, over time, players who bet correctly will win. Historically, poker has been played with a deck of 52 cards. However, today’s games often use fewer cards.
A game of poker begins with forced bets, usually the ante and/or blind bets. The dealer then shuffles the cards and deals them to the players one at a time, beginning with the player to his or her left. The cards may be dealt face-up or face-down, depending on the variant of poker being played. Each player then has the option to place money into the pot by raising or calling.
As you play more hands, you will begin to see patterns and develop an intuition for the frequencies of certain hands. This is especially true with the number of combos and blockers. Your ability to estimate the value of other player’s hands will also become second-nature.
Another great way to learn is by watching YT hand breakdowns. There are tons of them out there from the likes of Polk and ThePokerGuys. This helps you get a feel for other people’s thought process and see if it aligns with yours. Once you can start to think about poker the right way, you will be able to make much better decisions in the long run. Never gamble more than you are willing to lose.