How to Play Poker in a Good Mood
Poker is a mentally intensive game, and you’re going to perform your best when you’re in a good mood. If you start to feel frustrated, tired or angry, it’s probably time to quit. This is not only better for your mental health but you’re likely to save yourself a lot of money by just quitting a session that you’re losing.
A major part of the game is learning how to read other players and pick up on their tells. This isn’t always the subtle physical signs that you’ve seen in movies like scratching your nose or fiddling with your chips, but more about watching their patterns of play and how they react to specific situations. If a player is consistently calling all night and then makes a huge raise, they’re probably holding a strong hand.
In pot limit games, the maximum amount that a player can bet is the size of the current pot. A player who wants to increase the size of their bet must say “raise” so that the other players can choose to call or fold.
During the game, each player is dealt two cards and the remaining cards are revealed on the table. This is known as the flop. Then, the players must decide how to make the highest five-card hand possible from those seven cards – the best being a Royal Flush (five consecutive suits of ranked ace through ten). Other common hands include straights and flushes.
