The game of poker is a card game involving betting. Players place bets based on their perceived chance of having the best hand. While the outcome of any particular hand largely depends on chance, poker is a game that can be learned and improved through study of probability, psychology, and game theory.
There are a lot of poker learning resources available these days. The landscape is completely different from what it was during the Moneymaker boom (there were a couple of decent poker forums and maybe one or two pieces of poker software worth checking out). There are now a plethora of top-notch poker training programs and Discord channels dedicated to talking about strategy, plus an infinite amount of books that deserve your attention.
Learn the Rules & Hand Rankings
Start by familiarizing yourself with the basics of poker, such as the rules and hierarchy of hands. Once you have that down, it is time to start studying how other players play and looking for their tells. Observing your own habits is also important, and it’s helpful to review your trouble hands in order to understand what went wrong for you.
Poker is played from a standard pack of 52 cards, with some games using more than one deck and adding jokers as wild cards. There are four suits — spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs – and the highest-ranking hand wins. There are also a number of poker variations, some of which incorporate bluffing strategies.