Sitting round the table, hands clutching cards and waiting to see what your opponents are going to play.
Unlike a lot of casino games, there’s a definite skill to being good at poker and you can separate the great players from the rookies quite easily by looking at how they play.
Whether it’s with your friends or at a UK online casino, the difference is obvious based on how you approach the table. The best players won’t let their opponents know what they have, with a vice like control on their emotions, and will display confidence that they can win no matter what hand they have.
This behaviour, setting themselves apart from the players who look nervous and uncertain, is just one half of it though, they’ll also be the more observant players who have an intense concentration and pay attention to their fellow players.
Do they have a tell when they have a good hand? Do they always raise when they’re bluffing? The pro’s will have no problem folding on what might be a good hand if they know the opponent has something better.
Of course, the other thing you need is a good head for maths to make sure you keep it clear in your head how strong your hand is, the probability of an opponent having a stronger hand and how much you can afford to stake on it.
To make it clearer, we have this excellent little animation so you can gauge where you stand.
