Poker is a card game involving betting. There are several variants of poker, but most share the same basic rules. Players place mandatory bets called blinds into the pot before being dealt two cards. There is then a round of betting, usually started by the player to the left of the dealer.
There is quite a bit of skill involved in poker, particularly in betting. The most important thing to learn is how to read your opponents and make good decisions based on the situation. Many new players try to learn this through watching and reading books, but the best way is to play poker with experienced friends. Practice and watch experienced players to develop quick instincts and develop your strategy over time.
A lot of people look for cookie-cutter advice like “always 3bet X hands” or “always check-raise flush draws”. But, just because these lines work in certain spots does not mean they will work in others. Each spot is unique and requires a different strategy. Often, this means learning how to calculate odds and probabilities in order to better understand the risk vs. reward of each decision.
A common method for determining the likelihood of your opponent having a certain hand is to use conditional probability. This is the process of estimating the chance that your opponent has a certain hand given his previous actions and the probability that the board will contain a specific combination of cards.