I’m hosting a seasonal poker night series for my friends, starting this Saturday. I’ve been spending a long time writing a helper guide for beginners.

When introducing anyone to a game, you have to answer a fundamental emotional question: why will this be fun? Why should I play? Here’s my answer.

Why is poker fun?&10;&10;Poker is a game in which total ruin and total redemption are decided by how well you navigated a storm of luck and lies. It combines strategy, chance, deception, and risk into a cocktail of tension and triumph. And it's played with beautiful things: large round tables covered in soft felt, ornate paper cards with hypnotic depictions of kings and queens, and heavy ceramic chips that make you feel the literal weight of your decisions.&10;&10;Poker will test the limits of your concentration, your cunning, and your courage, and it will reward you with a lifetime of stories to tell about the times you won or lost it all against your friends.&10;&10;If that sounds like fun to you, read on!