The game of Poker has long been a popular pastime and even a career for many players. In fact, one self-made billionaire says that learning poker as a teen helped her to develop the skills needed for success in business. Jenny Just is the co-founder of financial firm PEAK6 Investments. Her story reveals some interesting lessons about risk management and strategic thinking.
After each player has received their two hole cards, a round of betting begins with 2 mandatory bets called blinds put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. These bets ensure that there is a pot to win and give the players an incentive to play. 3 additional cards are then revealed in a circle around the table, known as the flop. This is the turning point of the hand.
At this stage, it is important to analyse the board and understand what type of hand you have. The highest hand is a royal flush, which includes a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades). A straight is 5 consecutive cards of the same suit that skip around in rank, while a full house is 3 matching cards of the same rank plus 2 other unmatched cards.
It is also essential to keep a file of hands that you have played, or know about, so that you can refer back to them when writing about specific hands in your article. This will help to bring the topic alive and add credibility to your article. You should also have a good understanding of the different types of players and their betting patterns. This includes reading tells, which are the little signals a player gives off during a game to let other players know that they have a strong or weak hand. These tells can include shallow breathing, sighing, blinking or flaring nostrils.
