Poker is a card game that involves betting and raising. The goal is to win the pot by forming the best 5-card hand. During each round of betting, players can check (pass on betting), call or raise to add chips to the pot. They can also fold, which means giving up their cards and forfeiting their stake in the hand.

There are four betting stages in a poker hand, each of which serves a different purpose:

The first stage, called the flop, deals 2 community cards face up to the table and initiates a betting round. Players can now form a 3-card poker hand by combining the two cards in their own hand with the 5 community cards on the table.

In the second betting stage, called the turn, an additional card is dealt face up to the table and another betting round begins. This is a great time to check behind or bet small, as your opponents’ range will likely be weighted toward hands that don’t have any showdown value.

When betting in the third betting stage, called the river, an additional community card is revealed and a final betting round occurs. This is the best opportunity to make a showdown with your poker hand and get paid, especially if you were the preflop aggressor and can take advantage of your opponent’s tendency to play marginal hands late in the hand.

As you play poker, the math that underpins the game will become ingrained in your brain. Frequencies, EV estimation and combos will all become second nature to you. This will allow you to be more confident in your decisions and give you the edge over weaker players.

Beginners should be careful to never gamble more than they can afford to lose. It’s a good idea to track your wins and losses to gain a better understanding of how much you can safely bet without losing too much money.

When playing poker, beginners must learn to read other players and look for tells. These aren’t just the obvious things like fiddling with chips or wearing a ring, but can include body language and other subtle clues that can reveal information about a player’s poker hands.

Beginners should avoid calling re-raises with weak hands from early positions and try to be the aggressor in later positions. This will force strong players to either raise their own bets or call yours, and can help you steal some of their chips. However, don’t overdo it – strong players have no sympathy for weak players and will exploit them relentlessly if you play too cautiously.