Poker is a card game in which players wager money on the outcome of a hand. The goal is to extract the most value from your winning hands, while minimising losses from your losing ones. This is known as “min-max”. It is important to avoid playing at tables with players that are too strong for you, as they will cost you a lot of money.

You can raise, call or fold your cards when it is your turn to act. You can also check if you do not have a good hand.

When you are holding a weak hand, it is important to fold quickly so that you do not continue to put money into the pot with a hand that won’t win. You can also bluff to force the other players out of their hand, which can be quite profitable if you have good bluffing skills.

Top players tend to fast-play their strong hands, and this helps build the pot and also chases off other players who may be waiting for a better hand. However, it is important to note that if you are a beginner and do not have the best cards, then it is generally better to just bet small amounts and try to minimise your losses.

Advanced players often work out the ranges of possible hands that their opponent could have, and then calculate how likely it is that they will beat them. This is an essential skill and something that you can train for through maths exercises, chess and other strategy games.