Poker is a game of chance and psychology. It’s also a game of relative hand strength that takes a lot of practice to learn. As a beginner you’ll likely make mistakes that can cost you a lot of money. But don’t let that discourage you, just keep playing and learning.

When it’s your turn to act you can choose to make a bet (open), call or raise any existing bets. You can also fold (sliding your cards away face-down and taking no further part in that hand). If everyone but you stays in the hand until the end of the betting round then a’showdown’ takes place and the player with the best 5 poker hand wins.

It’s important to learn how to read players in poker. Some players are very conservative and only stay in hands when they think they have a good one. Others are aggressive risk-takers and will often raise their bets before seeing how the other players react to their cards.

Learning about position in poker is also very important. Being in late position gives you more information about your opponents’ intentions and allows you to make cheaper and more accurate value bets. It’s also useful for bluffing, although beginners should avoid bluffing too much until they have a better understanding of relative hand strength.