Poker is a card game that involves betting and requires quite a bit of skill. In the early stages of a hand, players reveal their cards one at a time in a clockwise fashion. The player who has the highest valued hand wins the pot (all of the chips that have been bet so far).
A key component to the game is being able to read your opponents. This is called having tells and it involves observing your opponent’s expressions, body language, and gestures to determine how strong or weak their hand may be.
Another crucial element of the game is playing your strong value hands as straightforwardly as possible. Trying to trick your opponents into thinking you’re bluffing is a waste of time, and it will just end up backfiring. Instead, you want to bet aggressively on your strong value hands in order to build the pot and chase off any worse hands that may still be waiting to see a flop.
In the post-flop phase of the game, you should be raising instead of limping, as this will help you win more money in the long run. Generally, you want to bet around 50% – 70% of the pot when you have a good-to-strong value hand. This is a great way to discourage your opponents from calling with mediocre hands and it will also charge them a premium price if they think you’re bluffing. This strategy is discussed in more depth in this poker training video from Daniel Negreanu.
