Poker is a card game where players make bets on the strength of their hands. The game has many variants. It requires a good understanding of probability and game theory. It is also important to know how to read the body language of other players, especially their tells. Tells are unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand. They can be as simple as a change in posture or as complex as a gesture. Observing experienced players is an excellent way to learn how to recognize and read tells.

Another essential skill is figuring out your opponent’s range. A good poker player will look at their opponents’ betting patterns and try to anticipate what they have in their hand. This allows them to make better decisions about whether or not to call bets. For example, if an opponent repeatedly raises their bets on the flop and into the river, it is likely that they have a strong hand. In this case, it would be foolish to call their continuous bets.

It is also important to understand the different types of poker hands. A full house consists of three cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank. A flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit. A straight is five cards in sequence, but they can be from more than one suit. A pair is two cards of the same rank and two unmatched cards.