Poker is a card game that involves betting between two or more players. The aim is to form the highest ranked hand using your own two cards and the five community cards. The player with the best hand wins the pot, which is all of the bets made by other players during a particular deal.

The key to poker is making decisions under uncertainty. You don’t know your opponent’s cards, what other hands they might have, or which cards will be dealt next. This means that you need to estimate probabilities in order to make the best decisions.

One of the best ways to do this is to study your opponents’ tells when they are not involved in a hand. This allows you to pick up on small details that would be difficult or impossible to notice when they are playing the hand. Another way to improve your decision-making is to play more hands when you act last. This will give you a better idea of how strong your opponents’ hands are and allow you to make more profitable bluffs.

It is also important to study the games of experienced players. This can help you understand the principles behind successful moves and incorporate them into your own strategy. You should also pay attention to the mistakes that experienced players make, and try to learn from them. However, it is important not to call out other players when they make mistakes, as this can hurt their ego and discourage them from making the same mistake again in the future.