Poker is a game of chance, but the way players bet in a hand can also involve a large amount of skill. In addition, the strategy used to play a hand can also be influenced by the player’s psychology.

The goal of the game is to have a better 5-card hand than your opponents. If you have a good hand, you can raise or fold depending on the betting pattern of the other players. Conservative players typically fold early, while aggressive players often bet high early in a hand before seeing how the other players are acting on their cards. The most successful poker players learn to read their opponent’s betting patterns and understand the ranges of possible hands that they could have.

A straight contains 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. A full house is three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank. A flush is five cards of the same suit that skip around in rank or sequence. A high card breaks ties in the event that two players have identical pairs.

A strong value hand is a big money maker, so don’t be afraid to raise with them. This will discourage your opponents from chasing ridiculous draws that are unlikely to pay off. If you have a weak value hand, you can call with small bets to keep the pot growing and intimidate other players into folding before “showdown,” when all players reveal their hands.