A tournament is an event, typically run at a game store, convention, or other venue where players come to play their favorite games against each other and compete for exciting prizes. A tournament tests a player’s skill in a specific game over multiple iterations, with new opponents for each one.
In Poker, one or more cards are dealt to each player, and the object is to win the pot (a sum of the bets made in that hand). The game can be played by as few as two people, but the ideal number is six to eight players.
During each betting interval, or round, one player, as designated by the rules of the particular Poker variant being played, makes a bet of one or more chips. Each player in turn must either “call” that bet by placing into the pot at least as many chips as the player before him or her, or raise it by increasing the amount of money being placed into the pot.
Beginners are encouraged to learn about the tells of other players, such as fiddling with their chips or wearing a ring, and to read the players’ betting patterns in order to make informed decisions. For example, if a player who usually calls a small bet makes a big raise on the flop, it is likely that they have a good hand. Similarly, a player who checks often may have a weak hand that will fold if faced with multiple bets, and this can be exploited by more experienced players.