The essential principles of poker are that poker players bet on the strength of their hand. At the end of a poker hand, all the players remaining in a hand will show their cards (this is the showdown) and the best hand will win the money in the pot. When a player places money in the pot, he is betting that at the showdown he will have the best hand. If however, there is only one player remaining in a hand, he wins the pot there and then, regardless of what cards he holds. This is what creates the opportunity for bluffing.

Your task as a poker player is, therefore, essentially very simple. When you have a winning hand, you need to try to win as much as possible. When you have a losing hand, you need to fold (throw away) your losing hand as soon as possible and minimise your losses. Occasionally, you will also be able to win a hand when you don't have the best cards - by bluffing.

To be a good poker player you must be able to make accurate judgements about when you are and are not likely to win a hand. Secondly, you must be able to deceive your opponents and make them overestimate (or underestimate) their own chances of winning the pot.

Here's how betting rounds work:

All types of poker contain betting rounds.  The betting round is the fundamental component of a poker game and works exactly the same way in pretty much every type of poker game. A betting round provides an opportunity for players to place bets on the strength of their hand. All the money bet will go into the "pot" which is simply a pile of money in the middle of the table. At the very end of each hand of poker, the players remaining in the hand show their cards and the player with the best poker hand wins the entire pot. So, generally, players will bet when they have a good hand (or a good chance of getting a good hand). Any player wishing to stay in the hand has to match the largest bet that is made.

When it is your turn to act during a betting round, you always have a choice of actions that you may take: CHECK: If no one has yet bet is this particular betting round, you can "check." This means that you don't wish to bet yet either and play moves round to the next player. You stay in the hand because no-one else has bet yet either. BET: You can place a bet when it is your turn. Anyone else wishing to stay in the hand will have to match this bet. CALL: If someone has placed a bet in this betting round, you must at least match that bet if you want to stay in the hand and continue to have a chance of winning the pot. If you match the bet, this is known as "calling." RAISE: If someone has already placed a bet, you can "raise." You match any bet that has already been made and bet additional chips. Normally your raise must be at least the size of the previous bet or raise. If someone raises again, this may be known as a "re-raise." FOLD: If you don't like your cards and don't think you are likely to win the pot, you can "fold." Your cards are placed in a discard pile and you take no further part in the hand. You will lose any money you have already placed in the pot, but no more!

A betting round ends only when everyone has acted at least once and when all players remaining in the hand have matched the largest bet made. Players may have to act several times before this situation is reached. next page>