Poker is a card game in which players form hands based on the rankings of cards and place bets against other players. The player with the highest hand claims the pot at the end of the betting round. While luck has a role to play in any game of poker, skill can overcome pure chance over time. Some of the most important skills in poker include reading other players, building comfort with risk-taking, and learning to make quick decisions.

Keeping your cards secret is essential to keeping the other players off guard, and this includes not holding them where others can see them. You should either keep your cards face down or held close to your chest (the origin of the phrase, “playing it close to the vest”) and only reveal them when necessary. You should also be sure to hide your nervous habits, such as rubbing your eyes or biting your nails.

A good poker player understands how to read the other players at the table, and this includes knowing the tells that give away a person’s secret. Some tells include shallow breathing, sighing, a flushed face, twitching, blinking excessively, and staring at a particular card. A poker player can also conceal tells by wearing sunglasses or a hat.

When playing poker, you want to play the strongest hand possible, and this often means raising rather than folding. A strong hand can build the pot and chase off other players waiting for a weaker one to appear.