What is Poker and Why Do People Love It?

If you have ever watched a professional poker tournament in real life, on television, or on a streaming platform, you were probably in awe of the professional players. People winning huge sums of cash, jetting around the world wining and dining, staying in fancy hotels, and driving beautiful sports cars. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case.

In fact, the majority of people playing poker lose money in the long term. Even professional competitors regularly lose money. This doesn't stop the game from being enjoyable. Poker is about skill, confidence, and being able to judge and analyze others. Yes, you need a bit of luck now and again to win poker games but you will probably notice those with experience and plenty of knowledge of the game will consistently win over time.

Poker dates back to the 19th century. In the first known games of poker in the United States, each player was dealt five cards from a deck of twenty-five. Nowadays there is a long list of different poker games. The most popular form of poker in recent history is called Texas Holdem’. The craze seems to have spread around the entire planet, with millions of players taking part in games daily. If you want to play poker for real cash online check out Blitz Poker.      

It's a Simple Game to Learn

People sometimes find watching a live game of poker a small bit overwhelming. Players discussing probability, statistics, and using strange terminology can leave newcomers confused. But don’t let this put you off figuring out how to play, because poker is not that difficult to figure out the basics.

Here are the basic rules of Texas Holdem’   :

1. Each player is given 2 cards which they cannot share with any other players.
2. There is a round of betting which allows each player to act in each round of the game.
3. Five more cards are placed in the middle of the table which are communal cards.
4. Each player can use 5 of the best cards between the two you have personally and the five that are face-up on the table. 

To learn how to play, there is a wide array of software that you can download onto your computer. There is also a wide range of apps available that help you understand the basics of how the game works.
 

Different Ways of Winning

Playing or watching poker can be a rollercoaster of a ride. As you improve, you might find your confidence growing and there is a possibility that your ego will grow too.

There are two ways of winning chips while playing poker. The first way to win is by being dealt a strong “hand”. The strongest hand you can be dealt is a pair of aces. Although this does not guarantee you will win the chips in the pot, you will be favorites to win. After the first round of betting you will hope the majority of players will have called. After all the cards have been dealt out and the betting is over the person with the strongest five cards will win the chips.

The other way of winning is by “bluffing”. This is when you pretend that you have a strong hand to worry your opponents. Good poker players are able to get into their opponent’s head and make them think they have a weak hand when they actually have a good hand and vice versa.  Winning a round while bluffing is one of the most fun parts of playing poker. However, when you lose to someone who is bluffing, don’t expect to feel too pleased with yourself.

Why has Poker Become so Popular?

There are countless amount of card games to play, so why has poker become so popular? Well, many people make the mistake and assume poker, like other card games, has a lot to do with luck. If you start playing poker, even against professional players you might win. But to constantly win games takes a lot of skill.

To be a good poker player over a long time, you need to understand the following:

• Psychology
• Game Theory
• Statistics
• Probability

High-level poker players work tirelessly to stay at the top of their game. Just like an athlete, poker players will spend hours working hard and learning how to improve their skills. Pro’s are expected to be organized and disciplined.

You don’t need to be a full-time or part-time poker player to enjoy the game. Playing against friends is great fun too. All a person needs to organize a game is poker chips and a deck of cards.

Summary

Nowadays there are lots of online casinos, platforms and apps that allow users to play poker from the comfort of their own homes. You can find games that allow you to play for free to help you improve your poker skills and there are other sites that let you play for real money.