Using Poker As a Metaphor for Your Novel
Poker is a card game in which players independently try to assemble a winning hand of cards. Traditionally, poker is played for cash or poker chips. Increasingly, however, it is also being played for entertainment and status. The drama and tension of a high-stakes poker game can serve as a metaphor for the stakes in your story. By paralleling the escalating tension of a poker game with the rising action of your plot, you can create a climactic moment that keeps readers on the edge of their seats.
In most cases, a poker game has an ante, or a mandatory bet made by the two players to the left of the dealer before the cards are dealt. The antes help provide an incentive for players to continue betting, or to raise it higher, to increase their chance of winning the pot.
After all the players have their two hole cards, an additional 3 cards are dealt face up on the table – the flop. Then another round of betting takes place. During this round, each player can choose to check, raise it or fold.
The final card is then dealt face up, the river. Once again there is a final round of betting. The player with the best 5-card poker hand wins the pot. If no one has a winning hand, then the pot is split between the remaining players.
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