Poker is a card game where you compete to make the best hand from the cards you are dealt. You will win hands and lose hands, so the goal is to extract as much value from your winning ones as possible while minimising losses from losing ones. This is called min-maxing.

You need to be able to read and understand other players in the poker table, especially their body language and facial expressions. This includes learning to spot tells, which are the subtle cues that can indicate that someone is holding a strong hand or is bluffing. For example, if you see someone fiddle with their chips or make a face when they look at their cards, they may be holding a strong hand and are trying to deceive you.

Once everyone has their two hole cards, there is a round of betting that begins with 2 mandatory bets put into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. After this, a third card is dealt to the table, called the flop. This triggers another round of betting.

Experienced players use a concept called ranges to work out the chances of their opponent having a certain type of hand. This is a way of assessing whether it is worth playing a hand or not. Newer players tend to play it safe and only call or raise when they have a good hand, but this strategy can be exploited by opponents who know your pattern.