Poker is a game of skill and strategy. It’s also a window into human behavior. To become a good poker player, you must learn to control your emotions and resist the temptation to make bad calls and ill-advised bluffs. You must also be willing to accept bad luck when it hits—and the frustration that comes with it.

There are four betting intervals in a hand: before the flop (the first three community cards), after the flop, on the turn (the fourth card), and on the river (the fifth community card). Each round of betting begins when a player puts in one or more chips into the pot. Players can then call the bet, raise it, or fold their hand.

Some players are more conservative, folding early on in a hand or staying in only when their cards are good. Others are more aggressive and often bet high on the flop or on the turn. It’s important to spot the differences in the ways these players play to improve your own game.

Playing poker online eliminates in-person knowledge of other players, including eye contact and body language, which can be a disadvantage. But many online experts make up for this by collecting behavioral dossiers on their opponents and even buying records of other players’ “hand histories.” In addition to analyzing these data, professional poker players are adept at extracting signal from noise, integrating information from multiple channels, and making timely adjustments.