How to Write a Poker Story

Poker is a card game played between two or more players, where each player bets on their hand of cards. In addition to the five cards in their own hand, each player also gets two additional cards face up on the table that they may use to improve their hand. This game is usually played in a tournament, where competitors compete over several matches with the overall winner determined by the highest number of points earned in each match.

While the outcome of any particular hand of poker is largely decided by chance, most bets are made voluntarily by players who believe the bet has positive expected value or are bluffing for strategic reasons. These actions are based on a combination of probability, psychology and game theory.

Each betting interval, called a round, starts when a player puts one or more chips into the pot. This can be done by saying “call,” which means the player will put in the same amount as the preceding player, or they can say “raise” if they think they have a good hand and want to raise the stakes. Players can also choose to “drop,” or fold, which means they will not call any future bets and will discard their cards and exit the tournament.

A key part of a good poker story is the description of the players’ reactions to the cards they are dealt. This can be as simple as describing who flinched or smiled. It can be more involved, describing the subtle tells of other players such as eye contact, body language and gestures.