Poker is a card game that involves betting over a series of rounds until there is one player left standing with a winning hand. There are many different variations of the game but the essence is the same. Players are dealt cards, bet over a series of rounds and the person with the best 5 card hand wins the pot.
It is important to understand how to read other players and learn tells. This is done by watching how other players behave, how they talk, their body language and even their facial expressions. Look for players that make big raises, this is a tell that they are holding a strong hand. Also, if a player calls every time and then all of a sudden makes a huge raise this is another sign that they have something good.
Top players are able to fast play their strong hands, this is because they want to build the pot and potentially chase off other players who have a better hand than them. You need to be able to do this as well, however it is important to not over-bet your hand.
Understanding ranges is very important in poker, this is because it is the way that advanced players work out what an opponent may have in their hand. They go through all the combinations of cards that an opponent could have and work out how likely they are to have a particular combination. This is much more effective than trying to put an opponent on a specific hand and can give you a lot more confidence when playing against strong opponents.