Poker is a game where players put their cards face down and then bet on the strength of their hand. The highest ranked hand wins the pot. However, winning in poker isn’t just about the quality of your cards; it also depends on how your cards compare to those held by your opponents. To maximize your chances of winning, you should learn the basic rules of poker and how to read your opponent’s tells.

The game begins with each player having to make an initial forced bet (the amount varies by game, in ours it’s usually a nickel) and then the dealer shuffles and deals the cards. Then the betting starts with the player to the left of the dealer. Players can raise, call or fold their bets into the middle pot.

Once all players have decided whether or not to call the raised bets a third card is dealt to the table, this is called the flop and once again players can raise, call or fold their hands. If any player still has a hand after the third betting round then the fourth card is placed on the table which is called the turn.

When the final card is revealed which is called the river then the fifth and last betting round takes place. Once again all players can raise, call or fold their hands.

It is important to be able to quickly read your opponent’s tells in order to make the best decisions. You can do this by studying their eye movements, idiosyncrasies and betting behavior among others. For example, if you notice that your opponent has been playing tight for the most part and then suddenly makes a big bet, this may indicate they are holding an excellent hand.

If you have a good starting hand such as pocket pairs or suited aces it is important to play it aggressively on the flop. This way you can force weaker hands out of the pot and raise the value of your hand.

In poker there are a number of catchy expressions but none more so than “Play the Player, Not the Cards.” This simply means that while you might think your hand is strong it is all relative to what the other players are holding. For instance, if you have a pair of kings and the person next to you has American Airlines they will probably bet a lot more than you.

Another way to increase your chances of winning is to be a selective caller. This is where you call a bet with a lesser than your actual hand but in the hope that you can improve on it in the future by drawing a better card. If you can make this call often enough then your win rate will improve dramatically. However, be careful as this can be a very risky strategy. If you are not careful then you will most likely lose your money!