Poker is a card game in which players place bets into the pot (a pool of everyone’s bets) before a showdown. The highest-ranking hand wins the pot. Players can also form hands based on the cards they have in their possession, which is called bluffing.

To succeed in the game, you must be disciplined and stick to your strategy even when it’s boring or frustrating. This is especially true when you’re losing hands on bad beats or making ill-advised bluffs. Human nature will try to derail your plan at every turn. This is why poker is such a fascinating game – it’s the hardest thing in the world to master.

A good poker player must learn to exploit their opponents’ weaknesses. This includes figuring out whether or not a player is tricky. Trying to categorize your opponents as strictly tight or loose isn’t always possible but it will help you understand what kind of hands they play and their betting tendencies.

If you have a strong hand, bet aggressively. This will push weaker hands out of the hand and raise the value of your pot. Say “call” if you want to bet the same amount as the person to your left or right.

Bluffing is an essential part of the game, but as a beginner you should focus on other strategies before attempting to bluff. Beginners often make the mistake of bluffing when they don’t have strong enough hands to justify it.