Poker is a card game played by two or more players. Each player puts in an ante before betting. Each player is dealt two cards. Then a round of betting takes place before the flop, the turn and the river. The player with the best five-card hand wins. If no one has a good hand, the dealer wins.
The game is won by playing tight and aggressively. This means raising a range of strong and playable hands like 7 6 or 5 5. Using these types of speculative hands disguises the strength of your other holdings, making you tough to beat.
Learn to read your opponents. Watch for tells (nervous habits, such as fiddling with chips or wearing a ring). Also pay attention to the size of their raises. The larger the raise, the tighter you should play and vice versa. Also look for tells in the way your opponent plays, such as a pause before calling a raise.
Remember that poker is a game of percentages. Even world-class players lose sometimes. Just don’t let these losses get you down. You should always focus on improving your poker skills and having fun. And don’t forget to re-buy when you lose and share a laugh with your friends about it!