Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involves betting on the outcome of a hand. While luck does play a role in the result of a single hand, the vast majority of bets placed are based on decisions made on the basis of probability, psychology and game theory.

The dealer shuffles the cards and deals each player 2 face up cards (hole cards). After all players have their hole cards, there is a round of betting. A player may choose to place money into the pot, called a call, if they want to match or raise the previous bet made by the person to their left.

After the players act on their hands, a third card is dealt face up to the table, known as the flop. The players can then continue to act on their hands. Finally, a fifth community card is revealed, which the players can use to improve their own hands.

One way to make a poker story more interesting is to include anecdotes and describe the other players’ actions. Another way is to write about a player’s tells, which are unconscious habits that reveal information about their current hand. These can be as simple as a change in posture or as complex as a gesture. A good poker narrator will be able to read these tells and understand what other players are thinking. This is important because a large portion of the game involves making calls and raising bets based on the tells of the other players at the table.