Poker is a card game in which players make bets on the strength of their hands. It’s a game of chance and skill, the latter largely dependent on your ability to read other players. The more you play, the more you’ll learn about your opponents and how to use their tells to your advantage.

The first step in learning how to play poker is grasping the basic rules and hand rankings. Most online poker sites offer free tutorials that will walk you through these basics. They’ll also explain the different odds for each type of hand and how betting works. These tutorials are an excellent way to gain a solid understanding of the game before you spend any money on training programs.

During a hand, players have the option to call, raise, or fold. If you choose to call, your bet must match the amount placed by the player to your left. If you raise, your bet must be higher than the previous one and will put more chips into the pot. If you fold, you forfeit any bets you’ve made so far.

When the flop is dealt, there’s another round of betting. This is usually prompted by 2 mandatory bets called blinds that are put into the pot by players to the left of the dealer. Then the dealer puts a third card on the board face up which is called the turn. There’s another round of betting and you can either check, call or raise your bet.

A fourth card is dealt face up, this time on the river. The final round of betting is now open to all players and you can bet on the strength of your hand, or fold if it’s not good enough. If you have a strong hand you may want to consider raising your bets so that others will call and try to beat your hand.

You should also start playing your draws aggressively once you have a firm grip on the fundamentals of the game. Many people will just call when they hold a strong draw, but the best players are able to get their opponents to call more often and then win the hand by the river. This is because they are able to pick up on subtle physical tells that indicate their opponent’s betting patterns and how strong their cards are. This will help you make better decisions at the table and improve your overall game.