Poker is the game of cards where skill and luck play a key role in the outcome of each hand. Regardless of your skill level, you will need to decide when to allocate resources toward a potentially winning hand and when to fold. Minimizing losses with poor hands and maximizing winnings with good hands is the fundamental skill of Poker.

In the game of Poker, players each put an initial contribution called a blind wager of one or more chips into the pot before the cards are dealt. Each player then has the opportunity to place a bet on their hand during each betting interval, also called a round. Each bet must be at least equal to the bet made by the player to their left. If a player has a strong enough hand, they may raise their bet, which means increasing the amount of money they have invested in their hand.

Once all players have their 2 hole cards, a third card is dealt to the table. Each player then looks at their hand and makes a decision whether to play (play a wager equal to the value of their ante) or fold. Optimum strategy dictates that you should “play” all hands greater than Queen, Six or Four and “fold” all other hands.

Aside from deciding when to invest your resources, it is also crucial to learn how to read the other players at the table. This involves understanding their tells, which are unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand such as eye movements, body language and gestures.