Poker is a card game where you have to make decisions when you don’t have all the facts. It’s a test of, and window into, human nature (the element of luck can bolster or tank even the most skilled player).
Each player is dealt two cards. They can use these cards and the five community cards to make a “hand” of five cards. The hand with the highest value wins the pot. Each betting interval, or round, starts with a player making a bet. Players can choose to call the bet by putting into the pot the same number of chips as the player to their left, raise the bet by putting in more than the previous player, or drop out (dropping out means they stop playing for the rest of that round).
It is important to know when to raise a bet and how much to raise it. When you raise, it lets everyone else know that you have a good hand and are serious about the bet. You should only raise when you have a good reason to do so. For example, if you are confident that your opponents have bad cards and are calling your bluffs, it may be worth raising your bet to scare them off.
The most common mistakes that players make are being too cautious or too aggressive. Being too cautious makes you a good defensive player, but you also run the risk of missing opportunities to win the pot. Being too aggressive leads to bad calls and ill-advised bluffs.