Poker is a game of chance when there’s no money at risk, but once betting comes into play the game becomes a lot more skill-based and psychological. That doesn’t mean it’s easy — it’s still very much a gambling game, and as such you need to be in the right frame of mind. If you’re not in the best place mentally, don’t play — save yourself a bad experience and quit before you lose more than you should.

Official poker is usually played with chips that represent a player’s stake in the tournament. Each entrant pays a fixed amount to enter, and they begin the game with the same amount of chips. They are allowed to transfer those chips between tables as they advance in the tournament, though the rules will often dictate a maximum number of transfers.

After a player’s cards have been dealt, the players can check, bet, raise or fold. Once all bets have been placed, the remaining players expose their hole cards and a winning hand is determined according to the official rules of poker.

One important thing to keep in mind is that a player must be at their seat when they are dealt a hand or they will have a dead hand. This rule is not intended to condone players being out of their seats while they are engaged in a hand, but it’s important that they are close enough that they can reach their chair easily.