Poker Etiquette – Showing Your Hand

When a player has a good hand, they should not reveal it to their opponent. This is called slow rolling. The idea is to give the other player the impression that they will win the hand. However, slow rolling is not the same as concealing your holdings during the middle of the hand or showing off your chips. The best time to show your hand is at the showdown. It is a matter of respect and good poker etiquette.

Depending on the position, a player can use different hand ranges when they are passive or aggressive. They can estimate the frequency of action and visual range in order to make the best decision. They can also use shorthand to describe hand ranges. For example, a player can say “JJ+” to describe an open-raising range from a particular position. Then, they can write the percentage of the range strand and how many combos are possible.

If the dealer calls, the first player to the dealer’s left places the first blind, or the first-round bet, and the second-round player puts down a second-blind, which is normally double the first blind and is the value of the minimum bet. If a player makes a raise, they can say “call,” which increases their stake by the same amount. When they have a hand of kings, they can also use the word “raise,” which means to make more of their bet.

The best natural hand is a straight flush, which consists of five cards of the same rank. If the ace is high, it can wrap around, but if it is low, it cannot. If there is more than one five-card flush, the higher card wins.