The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game that requires skill and luck to win. It is played with chips, which are usually worth the minimum ante or bet, and can be either a cash or tournament game. The goal of the game is to make a winning hand from the cards you have been dealt (hole cards) and community cards. Players can also bluff, hoping to scare their opponents into surrendering their hands.

Before the cards are dealt, each player must buy in for a specified amount of chips. Then there are betting intervals, depending on the rules of the game variant being played. Each player has the option to check, which means passing on a bet; call, which is putting into the pot the same number of chips as the player before him; or raise, which is betting more than the previous player’s bet. If a player does not put in enough chips to call, they must drop out of the pot and forfeit their rights to any side pots.

Risk management is a crucial skill to have in poker, Just says. “You have to learn how to walk away from things that don’t work. You can’t just go in and bet all of your money on every hand you play.” Just adds that she learned this lesson as a young options trader, and it has served her well in poker. She suggests starting small and taking more risks, sooner, to build confidence in your ability to manage risk.