Poker is a card game in which players wager chips (representing money) on the outcome of a hand. Generally, the highest-ranked five-card hand wins. Each player is dealt two cards and then placed in a betting position (position). Players can call, raise or fold. The person to the left of the dealer, called the button, has the responsibility of posting (paying) a small bet each hand before being dealt cards. The button moves around the table clockwise after each hand.
Each hand begins with one or more forced bets from the players, depending on the poker variant being played. These bets are known as the “pot.” After this initial contribution, each player has an opportunity to place chips into the pot in response to other players’ bets. Each bet must be at least the amount that is required for the player to call the previous bet (known as being “in the pot”).
A good poker hand requires a combination of the player’s own two cards and the five community cards. The goal is to make the best five-card hand using this information and bluffing.
To write a well-crafted poker story, focus most of your attention on the people at the table and their reactions to the cards that are played. Personal anecdotes, including details about other players’ behavior at the table are often interesting to readers. Also, try to describe the rising action, which is the part of the scene where bets increase and players reveal their cards.