Poker is a card game played by two or more players. It has a number of variants, but in all it involves betting between turns. The objective is to win a pot, which is the sum of all bets placed in one deal. The hand with the highest rank wins, although ties can exist; in such cases the highest unmatched cards break the tie.

The first thing a beginning player should do is learn to watch for tells, which are unconscious habits of other players that reveal information about their hands. These can include body language, facial expressions, and gestures. A beginner should also pay attention to their opponents’ actions and how they react to the cards they receive, as this will give them insight into what type of hand they have.

A good poker player knows how to build the pot with small bets that are large enough to drive other players into the hand, but not so big as to scare them off. This strategy is called placing a value bet.

Identify conservative players from aggressive players, so that you can make reading their bets easier. Conservative players fold early, whereas aggressive ones bet high. These players are easy to read, and their mistakes can be taken advantage of.