Poker is a card game in which players wager money in order to win a pot. The skill of minimizing losses with poor hands and maximizing winnings with good ones is what differentiates it from other games that rely solely on chance. In addition, poker requires that the players keep track of and pay taxes on their winnings.
Each player puts an amount of chips into the pot to begin betting. A single white chip is worth the minimum ante, and other colored chips are valued according to their color: one red chip is equal to five whites, for example. Players can either call a bet, raise it, or fold.
A 3rd card, called the flop, is dealt face up. A second round of betting occurs, and the best 5 card hand wins the pot. Players can also choose to discard and draw replacement cards in order to improve their hands if desired.
In order to make a story about Poker seem realistic, the author should focus on describing the people involved in the game, their reactions to the cards that are played, and by-play between the players. Describing a series of bets, checks, and reveals can quickly become dull without these other elements of plot conflict.