Poker is a card game played between two or more players. It is a fast-paced game that involves strategy and deception. The goal is to extract the most value from your winning hands and minimise losses from your losing ones. This strategy is known as minmax.

To play poker you need to be able to think on your feet, which is why it’s important to have a plan before the hand. It will help you focus on what matters and prevent you from making costly mistakes. This includes knowing what to look out for in real-time – like tells (unconscious habits of a player that reveal their hand).

The rules of poker are similar to those of life. There are no guarantees, but if you are confident and can make good decisions, you can get further than those who have more experience or better qualifications. In poker this means being able to make the most of your solid starting cards, or pre-flop betting, and minimising losses when you have a bad hand. In life, it means not being afraid to go into a job interview without the right experience or qualifications if you know you are better than the person next to you.

There are many different variations of poker, but all involve placing an initial amount of money into the pot before the cards are dealt. These are called forced bets and come in the form of antes, blinds, and bring-ins. These bets are designed to give everyone an equal chance of winning the pot. They also prevent players from simply calling every raise by the last player.