Poker is a card game in which players compete to form the highest-ranking hand based on their cards and to win the pot at the end of each betting round. Players make decisions with incomplete information about their opponents’ hands, and each action (fold, call, raise) gives away bits of information that allow their opponents to build a story about them.
The game is about reading these stories and adapting your strategy accordingly. That doesn’t mean luck plays no role in poker; it’s a game of chance as well as skill, and you can certainly improve your chances by practicing and playing the game more often. But it’s also about knowing how to change your strategy when it becomes apparent that you aren’t making as much money as you could be, or when it seems like other players are trying to derail your plans with weak calls and ill-advised bluffs.
A good starting point for poker strategy is to focus on strong value hands that have a high chance of hitting. These are typically the kind of hands that play better in multiway pots, where the implied odds are higher and it’s easier to pay off when you hit the board.
Another good starting point is studying the gameplay of experienced players. Watching their mistakes and learning from them is a great way to avoid falling victim to similar pitfalls, while also studying their successful moves and understanding the reasoning behind them.