Poker is a card game that requires skill, psychology and some math. This article is a brief introduction to the basics of poker (for more info, get a book).

Each player is dealt two cards, and the goal is to make a five-card “hand” with your own two and the five community cards. The players place their bets into the pot (representing money) during one or more betting intervals, depending on the variant of poker being played. If you have a good hand and your opponents call your bets, you win the pot. Alternatively, you can fold and let someone else win the pot by making a better hand with their own two cards.

When you have a strong value hand, it’s best to bet early and often, so that your opponent has no choice but to call your bets. This will force weaker hands out of the pot and maximize your winning potential.

It’s also important to play the player, not the cards. The quality of your cards is usually only good or bad in relation to the other players’ cards. For example, if you have A-K while another player holds J-J, your kings are losers 82% of the time.

Finally, it’s important to learn how to read other players and watch for tells. A player who fiddles with their chips, sighs or makes other expressions is likely holding an unbeatable hand and is trying to bluff you out of the pot. Similarly, an aggressive player who raises every bet is probably calling with an unbeatable hand.