Poker is a card game where players compete to form the best possible hand based on the cards they have, in order to win the pot, the sum of all bets placed during each betting interval. Players can also bluff to try and trick opponents into calling their bets when they don’t have the best hand, leading them to fold and lose their chips.

Depending on the poker variant, there may be one or more betting intervals in each deal, and the card deck is shuffled and cut before each betting round. The player to the dealer’s left, called the button, has the privilege or obligation of making the first bet in a betting round. Other players can call that bet, raise it or drop (fold).

To write a convincing poker story, you need to understand the game well and how different players think and act during a game. This includes studying body language, known as tells. This way, you can pick up on the tells of other players, which will give you an edge over them when playing at a table.

Another key factor is the importance of understanding the impact of position on your poker strategy. Having a late position allows you to control the price of the pot on later betting streets and get more value out of strong hands. Early positions, on the other hand, allow you to control the action and prevent opponents from calling re-raises with weak hands.