Poker is a card game involving betting between players in intervals, depending on the variant being played. Each player must place a number of chips (representing money, for which poker is almost always played) into the pot to make up his total contribution to the current betting round. Players who choose to bet can either call, raise or fold.

The Head Shaker

You’re in the middle of a big hand and there’s lots of action. Your opponent has been raising every time he can. You’re worried, but you have a solid pocket pair or are on the draw to a straight or flush. You reluctantly muck your cards. And then the next card is dealt—the one that would have given you a monster hand!

That’s called variance, and it’s something you can’t control. But you can learn how to play poker with a disciplined bankroll and work on your mental game to build resilience against variance. This can help you get better faster so that you can take more risks, sooner—and learn from the ones that don’t succeed.