Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money) into a pot, with the winner being the player with the highest ranked hand when the cards are revealed. The first player to act places the first bet into the pot, then each subsequent player must place chips into the pot in order to call a previous raise or to increase his own bet if he wants to stay in the hand.

The first step in becoming a better poker player is to start playing lower stakes cash games and micro-tournaments, as this will help you familiarize yourself with the game mechanics, learn how to use poker chips and get comfortable with the basic rules of the game. Studying and observing more experienced players is also important, as it can teach you how to adopt effective strategies and avoid common pitfalls.

One of the most common mistakes new players make is to limp into a pot when they have a strong value hand. This can be very risky, as if the opponent calls, they could end up with a much stronger hand than yours, and you will have lost out on some serious money.

A good strategy is to play a balanced style of poker, meaning that you should mix up your hand selection and play bluffs when appropriate. This will keep your opponents off balance and prevent them from knowing what you’re up to, which is the key to winning poker.