Poker is a card game in which players put up a bet of some sort, called a blind or an ante, before being dealt cards. Then they play the cards they have in their hands (called hole cards) against those of the other players. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

A key part of poker is being able to read the other players. This is a skill that you can learn over time. It doesn’t come from subtle physical poker tells, but instead from observing patterns in their behavior. For example, if a player always bets when they have strong cards you can assume that they aren’t bluffing.

Another important aspect of reading other players is understanding their ranges. Rather than trying to place an opponent on a particular hand, more experienced players will try to work out the full selection of possible hands that they could have. This helps them make more accurate EV bets.

Finally, it’s important to understand the importance of position. When it’s your turn to act you should always consider the position of your opponents when making decisions. This will give you a much better chance of winning a hand by making a good bluff or by getting value bets. You can improve your understanding of positions by watching a lot of poker videos and using poker software to review past hands that you have played. It is also important to study your own hands and to analyze what went well and what didn’t.