Poker is a game of chance, but when betting enters the picture there’s quite a bit of skill involved. Having the ability to keep your emotions in check and not let your ego get ahead of you is a big part of being successful at this game.

When betting comes around to you in a hand, it’s usually best to call with a strong hand. This way, you can force weaker players to fold and avoid calling a bet with a weak hand. However, you can also raise if your hand is particularly strong. Raising will put all of the worse hands out of the pot, increasing the value of your hand.

The first round of betting occurs after everyone has 2 holes cards, which are called ‘blinds’ and are placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. There is then another card dealt face up which starts the next round of betting.

The highest 5 card hand wins the pot, unless it is a pair or higher and then the second highest pair wins. The high card also breaks ties for any hand that doesn’t make one of the pairs or a straight/flush.