Poker is a card game that involves betting and wagering, often between two players. It’s a game of chance and skill, and requires a lot of reading and watching to learn the rules. The game is played with chips, where the white chip is worth one dollar and each other color is worth a different amount. The chips are used to place an initial bet, called the ante or blind, into the pot before the cards are dealt. Each player also places an additional amount, called the bring-in, in order to participate in the hand.

To win a hand, a player must have the highest ranking combination of cards in his or her face up hand. A royal flush contains five consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight contains five cards that skip around in rank and may be from two or more suits. Three of a kind is made up of three cards of the same rank, and a pair is two matching cards.

The most interesting stories about poker are those that involve the by-play between players, and how they react to other players’ moves. A good way to write about this is by describing the tells that each player has, which are unconscious habits and expressions that reveal their holding. This can include eye contact, facial expressions and body language. Also, it is useful to know about the different variants of the game so that you can write articles about them as well.