Poker is a game where players place chips into a pot (the betting pool) while playing cards. The highest hand wins the round. In each round, each player can fold (leave the table), call (match the previous player’s bet) or raise (bet more than the previous player).
The key to becoming a good poker player is developing quick instincts. The more you play and observe experienced players, the better your instincts will become. Watch how they react to certain situations and imagine how you would have reacted in the same situation to help you develop your own strategy.
You will also need to be mentally tough. Losses should not crush your confidence, and wins should not make you too excited (unless you win a World Series of Poker bracelet or something else major). Watch videos of professional poker players such as Phil Ivey to see how they handle bad beats. In fact, it’s a good idea to watch videos of professional players even when you’re not playing poker.
Understanding probability is a great skill to have for any game of chance, but poker is different because it teaches you to bet on uncertainty-something that’s hard to do in any other game. It’s one of the reasons why poker is such a masterful game.