You sit down in a game of Bet365 Poker, collect your chips and are dealt your cards. You take a look at them and adjust your seat. When you are finished you look around and realise everyone is looking at you.
It’s your turn.
If you are new to the game, then this is where your heart skips that little bit faster.
What on earth do you do next?
Checking
The theory of checking can really confuse beginning players, but once you get used to it it’s like riding a bike.
There are only a few scenarios where you can check.
→ When a player has checked to you and it’s your turn to bet.
→ When you are seated in the big blind, one or more players have called and it’s your turn to act next.
By checking you are indicating you do not want to bet, and instead want to pass the option to your opponent. If you are facing a bet of any kind then you cannot check.
Fold
One of the major mistakes that player’s make is they don’t fold often enough. Folding means you do not want to play your hand. You should only fold when it’s your turn to play. Never fold when you can check, especially when you are in the big blind.
Calling
You can only call if you are facing a bet and it is your turn to act. Let’s imagine the blinds are 100/200 in a tournament and it’s your turn to act. If you bet 200 then that bet constitutes a call.
Raising
Raising is an aggressive act whereby you are putting more money into the pot than currently exists in the form of the current bet. Let’s use the same example of a 100/200 tournament, if you make a 600 bet, you have raised because your bet is higher than the 200 that you need to pay to participate in the hand.