Poker is a card game where players wager chips on the outcome of a hand. The game can be played with any number of players and in many different variants. The object of the game is to make the best five-card “hand” using your own two cards and the community cards. Each player has an initial amount of money to bet with (the “chips”). This is called the pot.
At the beginning of each betting interval, or round, a player must either call the bet by putting the same amount of chips into the pot as any previous player or raise it by putting in more than the original player’s bet. If no one calls the bet, the player may choose to fold (“fold”) and leave the game for the remainder of that round.
When more than one player has a high pair, the highest ranking pair wins (e.g., a pair of kings beats a pair of queens). When no one has a high pair, the rank of the unmatched card (called the “kicker”) is used to break ties.
Poker is an immensely popular game with millions of fans. To write an article that appeals to them, focus on the by-play between the players, especially their reactions to the cards they are dealt. In addition, highlight the tells, which are unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s strength of hand (e.g., a player’s posture or facial expression). The article should also contain anecdotes and other entertaining material.