Poker is a card game where players have chips (representing money) and aim to make the best five card “hand” using their own two cards and the community cards dealt in a round. The player who raises the most on any betting interval wins the pot. This may be done without showing his hand, or the player who raised may remain in the pot by calling a bet for any amount of his own stake, or fold.

The rules of the game are not very complicated, and can be understood in a few minutes. What makes the game interesting, though, is the reactions of the players and the by-play between them. This is where the drama lies, and the writer should focus on this when writing scenes.

A good strategy for writing about poker is to start by deciding on the focus of the book, and then start keeping a file of poker hands that are relevant to this topic. This will provide a wealth of material to draw from when it comes time to write the actual book. In addition, it is helpful to have a good working knowledge of how poker works on a theoretical level, as well as on the practical side. This will give the author an edge over his competitors, and make his book more readable.