Poker is a card game that involves betting on the strength of one’s hand. The goal is to form a high ranking hand at the end of each betting round, winning the pot – the total amount bet by all players in that hand. The highest ranking hands are Royal Flush (A, K, Q, J, 10 of the same suit); Straight Flush (five cards in a sequence and of the same suit); Four of a Kind (four cards of the same number/picture); Two Pair (two matching pairs); and High Card.

If a player has a strong value hand, it is important to play it aggressively. This is a way to confuse your opponents and take advantage of their mistakes, such as calling too often with weak hands or overthinking and arriving at wrong conclusions.

A strong value hand can also help you exercise control over the pot size. If you are the last player to act, you can inflate the pot if you have a good hand and deflate it if you have a mediocre or drawing hand.

Observe other players to learn their betting patterns and read them better. The more you observe, the better you’ll be able to determine whether they are conservative players who only stay in a hand when their cards are good, or aggressive risk-takers who can be bluffed into folding early. Identifying these types of players helps you plan your strategy and improve your win rate.