How to Write a Story About Poker

Poker is a game of chance, but one that also requires skill. The ability to minimize losses with weak hands and maximize wins with strong ones is the key. The game is fast-paced and bets continue until all players either call or fold. Players can also “raise” a bet, adding more money to the pot.

To make your story about Poker interesting, focus on how the players react to the cards and each other. You can use the elements of plot conflict (exposition, rising action, climax, resolution) to help your readers feel involved with the scene.

Observe your opponents and learn about their tells, or unconscious habits that reveal information about their hand. These can be as simple as a change in posture or as complex as a gesture. Professional poker players have perfected this art, extracting signal from noise across multiple channels and using their behavioral dossiers to exploit their opponents.

The game of poker has hundreds of variations, but most follow similar rules. Players place two mandatory bets called blinds into the pot before the cards are dealt. Each player is then dealt 2 cards face down, hidden from the other players (known as a player’s hole or pocket). A round of betting starts, usually with the player to the left of the big blind. Three more cards are then dealt to the table, revealed and available for all players to use to build a hand of five cards.