Chapter 1 said which hand wins. This one says how it gets that far at all: who acts when, where the money in the middle comes from, and in which order the cards fall.
A hand of poker takes less than two minutes and consists of the same steps every time. Once you have clicked through it in peace, you will not lose the thread at a real table.
A small chip with a D marks the dealer, the button. It moves one seat clockwise after every hand.
That is no formality but the most important rule at the table: the button decides who acts when. Whoever acts late has seen everyone else act before having to decide. This order is called position, and in poker it is worth gold — which is why the button moves instead of standing still.
The two players to the left of the button pay before anyone sees a card: the first the small blind, the second the big blind. Two forced bets, every hand, in turn.
The reason is simple: without them there would be nothing to win in the middle, and anyone could wait hours for two aces without risking a cent. The blinds make sure every hand is about something.
Everyone gets two face-down cards that belong to them alone. Then it is time to act for the first time, clockwise, starting left of the big blind.
Three options, every time: fold — throw the cards away and get out. Call — match the current bet. Raise — put more in and make the others choose.
Whoever puts in everything they have goes all-in: that is not a fourth move but a raise down to the last chip.
This first round is called preflop, and it is exactly the decision you practise in the Daily Quiz and in the trainers.
After that, cards come into the middle of the table that belong to everyone. From those and their own two, every player builds the best hand of five cards — that is the rule from chapter 1.
They come in three batches, always in this order:
After every batch there is another round of betting. Whoever folds is out for this hand; their money stays in the middle.
The first is the obvious one: it goes to showdown, the cards are turned over, and the best five-card hand takes the pot.
The second is the more common one: everyone else folds. Then you win without ever showing a card — and it makes no difference at all what you were holding.
That is why poker is not a card lottery. Good cards help; the decision of when to go on and when not to is what decides.
The hand below is narrowly lost, and that is on purpose. Well played does not mean won. A single hand is decided by the cards; a thousand are decided by your decisions — and those are exactly what is measured here, not the results.
Eight players, you are in the hijack. Next moves one step on; nothing runs by itself, and nothing runs away.
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