Poker is a game of chance, but the better you understand the odds and strategies involved the more likely you are to make money. A basic understanding of the game is the first step in becoming a winning player, but you must also play a lot of hands if you want to become really good at it. A minimum of 6 hands an hour is recommended, but you should be playing more than this if you want to improve quickly and get ahead of the competition.

It is important to know what hands you should play and which ones you should fold. Most professional players won’t play any hand that offers lower than a high pair (aces, kings, queens, jacks or tens) or a straight. Even a face card paired with a low card isn’t usually a good play, as your kicker will be too weak to give you the strength of a high pair.

Another skill to learn is deciding how much to bet. Deciding how much to bet takes into account previous action, the number of players left in a hand, stack depth and pot odds. This is a complex process and mastering it will take some time, but it’s crucial to success.

It is also important to pay attention to your opponents and try to read their actions. This will help you identify their strengths and weaknesses, which can be invaluable when it comes to planning a bluff.