Thanks in part to the rise of Internet poker and the televising of major world class poker tournaments; poker has never been more popular than it is today. Literally millions of people all around the world routinely play poker both online and offline and the game is continuing to grow in popularity. While there is no guaranteed way to tell you how to win at poker, there are some simple fundamentals that you should take into consideration to help you become successful at the game.

The nuts is the term for the best hand in poker. If you flop the nut hand, it might seem wonderful, but it isn't as great as it looks. Or, rather, it's great, but you still need to know how to play it properly. Otherwise, it won't get you the most chips.

You see, having the nut hand is all about chip extraction. You don't want everyone to fold to you. You want them to stay in the pot and make it grow. The idea is to extract as many chips as you can from them, as the hand progresses.

There are some questions a new poker player may want to ask himself/herself: am I playing this game for fun or to earn my living through it? Do I want to be a serious or lose player? New players as well as professional ones ask themselves these questions again and again. But the difference is in how many winning strategies the players are aware of.