Poker is a game of chance, but it also requires a certain amount of skill. To be a good poker player, you must learn how to weight your chances and make decisions that maximize profit. This can include deciding on the proper limits and game variations for your bankroll, and it can even involve sacrificing some fun games in order to participate in more profitable ones. It can also mean being able to stick with your game plan even when it’s boring or frustrating. Human nature will always try to derail you with bad calls or ill-advised bluffs, but being able to keep your head in the game is the mark of a great poker player.
When it’s your turn to bet, you can say “call” or “raise” to add money to the pot. If someone else has already raised, you can “fold” instead of raising again. If you have a strong hand, it’s usually better to raise than simply limp into the pot. A limp tells other players that you have a weak hand and gives them the opportunity to call or raise with better cards than yours.
More experienced poker players will use their knowledge of probability and statistics to work out the range of possible hands that their opponent could have. This is called “reading” an opponent, and it is a crucial part of the game. It can help you determine how likely it is that your opponent has a strong hand, and it can help you decide whether or not to bluff.