Poker is a card game in which players bet during one round of play, putting chips into the pot that other players must match or raise. It is considered a card game of skill, requiring strategic decisions based on probability and psychology. In addition, it is a game of chance, with the outcome of any given hand largely dependent on luck.

A game of poker usually starts with 2 cards being dealt to each player, followed by a round of betting that starts with the player on the left of the dealer. These initial forced bets are called blinds, and they give players an incentive to participate in the hand, while still leaving a significant amount of the hand’s expected value up to chance.

Once everyone has their two cards, they can decide whether to call, raise or fold. If they think their hand is strong enough to win, they would say “call”. If they aren’t sure, they might raise a bet or fold.

Throughout a session, you should be comfortable making tough calls and playing your hands aggressively. It’s also important to only play with money that you’re comfortable losing – if you don’t feel good about risking your buy-in, then you should find another game. The egos that sometimes creep into poker can derail your progress, so it’s best to stay humble and play only against opponents that you have a strong skill edge over. That way you can enjoy the game more and have a better shot at winning.