A Beginner’s Guide to Poker

Poker is a game of cards played between two or more people. Players place chips or cash in the pot after each betting round, and whoever has the best hand wins. There is a great deal of mystery surrounding the history of poker, but it is likely that it developed independently from earlier card games, most likely in the late 1700s or early 1800s.

Once all the players have shown their hands, a winner is declared. If no one has a winning hand, the dealer wins. If all players have the same hand, a tie results, and the pot is divided equally amongst them.

When it is your turn to bet, you must say either “call” or “raise.” To call, simply place your bet into the pot equal to the amount placed by the person before you. To raise, add an amount to the pot equal to or higher than the last player’s bet.

It’s also important to learn how to read other players and watch for tells, which are the small movements a person makes that give away their emotions, such as fiddling with a coin or wearing a ring. This will help you deduce whether they have a strong or weak hand, and make better decisions.

If you’re looking to learn more about the mathematical aspects of poker, this workbook is an excellent resource for memorizing and internalizing key formulas as well as exploring concepts like balance, frequencies, and ranges. It’s a good supplement to The One Percent course, though I suggest reading it after that course to get the most out of it.