If you want to be a professional poker player, you need to be willing to put in the work. You will have to be patient, disciplined and willing to deal with terrible luck, especially bad beats (when your opponent gets a better hand than you). You will need to stay focused on the goal and stay true to the strategy even when it’s boring or frustrating.

Each player has chips (to bet with) and is dealt two cards. Five community cards are then dealt and players aim to form the best 5 card “hand” (as per the rankings of cards). The highest hand wins the pot – all of the chips bet so far. Players can call, raise or fold if they wish.

It is important to be able to read the table. This is a skill which develops as you play more and more hands. You need to know when to fold, so that you don’t bet too much with a weak hand. You also need to know when to bluff. It’s a good idea to mix up your style of play – if your opponents always know what you have, you will never get paid off on your big hands or your bluffs won’t be successful. To avoid this, it’s good to learn about tells. They are small signals which give away your intentions. For example, if you check too often, your opponents will assume that you only play strong hands and are unlikely to call your bluffs.