Poker is a game that involves a lot of risk, chance and psychology. It requires players to voluntarily put money into the pot, believing that their bet has positive expected value or trying to bluff other players for strategic reasons. In some cases, this bluffing can be as simple as making your opponent think you have strong cards so that they fold when you are actually bluffing.
Players ante a small amount (the exact amount varies by game) to get their 2 hole cards dealt and then place bets into the middle of the table called the pot. Once the betting round gets around to you (this is done in a clockwise fashion) it is time to act. Depending on your hand and the betting situation you may decide to fold, call or raise.
When you do raise, it is important to be confident and aggressive. This will make your opponents think twice about going head-to-head with you, or at the very least be forced to call you when they are holding a strong hand.
It is also important to pay attention to your opponents and learn their tells. These aren’t just the obvious physical poker tells like scratching your nose or fiddling with your chips. It is a combination of things such as observing their betting patterns, idiosyncrasies and playing style. For example, if someone calls every single hand and then suddenly makes a huge raise it is probably because they have a monster hand.