Poker is a card game that puts a player’s analytical and mathematical skills to the test. It is also a social game that teaches people the importance of teamwork and strong decision-making skills. Moreover, it can help you improve your hand-eye coordination.
Each betting interval is started by one player putting in some chips into the pot. The players to his left can say “call” (put in the same amount as the call), raise (put in more than the call) or drop (“fold”). The player who puts in the most chips wins the pot.
During the pre-flop phase, you want to make sure that your opponent knows that you have an outstanding hand. This is because if they think that you have nothing and fold, they will re-raise you on later streets and give away important information about their range. You can avoid this by doing several shuffles and betting aggressively.
As the game progresses, you should try to stay alive and let the big stack KO the small. This will give you better chances of winning the pot when the showdown takes place. You should also try to get your hands to the left of LAGs as often as possible. This will enable you to have position on them, which will allow you to maximise your EV and take down pots. Additionally, it will prevent you from being handcuffed by their position and limit your options for exploiting their mistakes.