Poker is a game of cards that involves a lot of luck, but it also requires a good amount of skill and each player is ultimately the master of their own fate. It’s important to learn from your wins and losses but don’t rely on that solely as you can also gain tremendous insight into the game from a number of incredible resources like poker blogs, poker pros, and books such as Dan Harrington’s ‘Hold’em’ and Doyle Brunson’s ‘Super System’.

One of the most important things to remember when playing poker is that you should always play with money that you can afford to lose. For instance, if you have 200 chips in your bankroll and you lose 100 of those chips during the course of the game, stop playing until you are comfortable with that amount being lost again.

Another important tip when playing poker is to bet aggressively when you have strong hands. This will force weaker players to fold and can raise the value of your pot.

It is important to pay attention to your opponents as well. This includes looking for tells and identifying conservative players from aggressive ones. Conservative players tend to fold early and are easily bluffed into folding. Aggressive players, on the other hand, often bet high early in a hand and can be beaten by a good bluff or a lucky draw.

When you have a good hand like pocket kings or ace-queen, don’t be afraid to bet at the flop. This can help conceal the strength of your hand and make it more difficult for other players to put you on a specific hand.