Poker is a card game that has become hugely popular and for good reason – it’s fun, social and has a deep element of strategy involved. You can play it for real money or play free games online – and it’s played all over the world in virtually every country.

During a hand players will bet into the pot (this varies by game, our games are nickel). Each player will have two personal cards in their hands and five community cards on the table which can be used to create a high ranking poker hand of 5. The highest poker hand wins the pot. Betting in a hand starts with the person to the left of the dealer and continues in clockwise order until a player calls or folds their cards.

Once the first betting round is complete the dealer will deal a third card on to the table that anyone can use – this is called the flop. Then the dealer will deal a fourth card – this is known as the turn.

At this stage it’s important to pay attention to your opponents and try to read them. A lot of these readings won’t come from subtle physical poker tells but from patterns – for example if someone is calling all the time then you can assume they are holding a weak hand. The more you practice and watch experienced players the better your quick instincts will become.