Poker is a card game played by two or more players and involves betting between each other during the course of the hand. The object of the game is to form a high-ranking hand from the cards that you are dealt, in order to win the pot at the end of the round. The pot is the sum total of all bets placed by players during a particular round.
The game has a wide range of skill-based learning opportunities, from probability calculations to improving your focus and discipline. However, it is important to remember that poker also requires a good level of risk-taking. It is important to know when to call a bet with an inferior hand, and to understand the psychology of your opponents so that you can make the right decision in different situations.
It is also important to realise that Poker is a very challenging game, particularly for beginners. The majority of players at a table are worse than you, and making money from Poker is a complex process of extracting the maximum value from your winning hands and minimising losses on your losing hands.
Watching your opponent is a key part of this, and many players are able to pick up tells by studying their body language, the way they look at their cards or how they bet. A player who seems bored on the flop with his hand on his chin, for example, might then bet heavily on the turn and try to bluff you out of your chips.