Poker is a card game in which players compete for money. There are different rules for each variant of the game, but the basic premise is that players bet chips into a pot during each round of play, then take turns revealing their hands. The player with the best hand wins all the money in the pot.

A common strategy is to bet aggressively before the flop and turn. This forces the other players to fold or call your bet if they have weaker hands, and will often put them off raising a strong hand.

Having a balanced style of play is crucial to success at poker. It keeps your opponents on their toes and prevents them from thinking that you have a bluff or the nuts when you don’t.

It’s also important to develop a good sense of range. You will be able to work out how to play a range of hands by looking at the entire selection of possible cards that your opponent could have.

You should also understand that limping is not usually the right way to play a hand. Instead, you should be folding or raising if you have a strong hand.

Poker is a highly social game, and players often rely on their skills of reading other players to make decisions. There are plenty of books on the subject, but it’s also important to notice small things about your opponents – such as their eye movements, the way they handle their chips, and the amount of time they take when making decisions – to develop these skills.