The game of poker involves a lot of chance, but if you know what to look for there is a lot of skill and psychology involved as well. In fact, the divide between break-even beginner players and big-time winners is not as wide as most people think. In most cases, it just takes a few little adjustments to start winning at a higher clip.

Players must “ante” something (amount varies by game) before they are dealt cards, and then in turn place bets into the “pot,” which is a communal pool of money that the players compete to win by forming the best five-card hand based on card rank. At the end of each betting round, the player with the highest hand wins the pot. Depending on the rules of your game, you may also draw replacement cards after each round of betting.

The first step to becoming a good poker player is learning how to read the other players. This is called’reading tells’, and it can be done through a combination of physical behavior changes (like posture or facial expression) and verbal signals. Most experienced players learn to spot and analyze the tells of other players, and they use this information to gain an advantage over their opponents.