Check mates

Now, men and women everywhere get their friends round to drink beer, eat pizza and play poker in their living rooms.

My boyfriend and his mates regularly hold suchpoker nights, putting in a tenner at a time and going home a whole lot happier, even if their pockets are a bit lighter.

Until now, my role was to sip wine and munch crisps quietly in the corner. But the gleam of their winnings has started to catch my eye. It was time the word chips meant more than a bag of tortillas.

I was going to learn poker and more importantly, I was going to win.

Keeping a straight face is not as easy as it looks, as shown in Ant and Dec's recent quiz show, Poker Face. I would need a tutor to teach the impossible, so I begged York fireman Andy Fenwick for a lesson.

Andy has been playing poker for two years. He plays on the web, sometimes on TV and, recently scooped $30,000 (about £16,000).

There are many different kinds of poker, says Andy, but Texas hold 'em is the most common.

The aim of the game is to make the best five-card hand from a total of seven.

Two of these cards are the player's private cards. The rest are from five community cards in the centre.

First chose your dealer. Before a card is dealt, the two players to the left of the dealer put a blind (compulsory bet to ensure money in every pot) on the table. The player immediately to the left puts a small blind in, while the player to the left of them doubles it.

The deck is shuffled and two cards dealt to each player.

Take a sneaky look at your cards and decide whether they're rubbish, or good enough to stay in.

The player next in line is the first to bet.

If they have bad cards, they may fold, which is to discard their cards and opt out.

If their cards were okay, they could call, which would be to match any bet already staked.

If their cards were great, they might raise, which is to increase the size of the last bet placed.

If no more money had been wagered, they could also check, which would mean passing the action to the next player.

Three community cards are then dealt, followed by more betting.

If the person to the right of you has checked, you may as well check and see the next card, rather than fold, advises Andy.

"It hasn't cost you any more money to stay in and the next card to be dealt might make a difference, " he said.

A fourth community card is dealt, followed by another round of betting before the fifth and final card is shown, known as the river.

The final betting round then begins. If two or more players still remain they showdown and reveal their cards. The player with the best hand takes the pot.

Confused? So was I.

What action you take all depends on what the person before you has done, says Andy.

You can fold at any time, but can only check if they have. If they have placed a bet, then to stay in you must call them, or raise it.

My next mission was to find people patient enough to have a game with me. Enter Andy and his colleagues, If I could take on the firemen, I could take on the world, I thought.

Surely with the aid of sunglasses and a visor, I could not only beat my boyfriend, but also the guys in the newsroom, none of whom would like to lose to a girl.

After a game at Andy's house I had won one hand, but given the game away with a beaming smile and the fact it was the only time I had raised.

A player such as myself, who would fold or check until they were sure they had something worth betting with, was called a "tight player, " he said.

"They only play premium hands like Ace King, Ace Queen or high pairs. They fold or check a lot and if they bet or raise, you know they've got something good."

Better players mix it up, he adds.

"You can't win huge amounts just by playing good hands. It does pay to be more aggressive."

Andy likes to play without having to show his cards. He also likes to bluff.

"It depends on how many chips I've got but if I've got a hand I will play it. If you've got a big stash or chips you can afford to bully as you can bully players out but they can't knock you out.

"You might have a reasonable hand and they might have a slightly better one. If you go all in all they don't know what you've got.

They might have a good hand but are they going to risk it?

"There is luck involved because there are some hands you can't get away from."

If you want to improve your game, there are plenty of sites on the internet that allow you to play for free, says Andy.

That way you can pick up some tips before beating your mates.

But for now, I don't think my colleagues need worry.

Tips to take the pot

Patience. Don't be afraid to fold, even if you get a run of bad hands at a time.

Bet. If you've got a hand, bet. Especially if you're playing for smaller stakes.

Bully. If you've got a big stack of chips, bully. "You should be raising with anything, " says Andy. "If they've got a short stack they're going to fold."

Go for it. If you've got a short stack then whatever the blinds are, go all in with anything half decent.

Don't show. Try to pick up the pot without having to show your cards. If you get everyone to fold you're never going to lose.

Hands

There are plenty, including. . .

Royal Flush. 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit.

Straight Flush. Five cards in numerical order, all of the same suit.

Four of a Kind. Four cards of the same numerical rank and another random card.

Full House. Of the five cards in your hand, three have the same numerical rank and the remaining two also have the same numerical rank.

Flush. Five cards of the same suit, regardless of numerical rank.

Try your hand

You can learn and play poker for free on line. Type 'play poker for free' into Google and you get almost four million entries, but here are two you could check out. . .

www. partypoker. net.

www. worldseriesfreeroll. com