Poker is a game of strategy and chance where players try to make the best hand of five cards by using their two personal cards plus the five community cards on the table. While luck can play a big role in the outcome of a poker hand, a good strategy will lead to more wins than bad beats.

The game begins with the dealer shuffling a standard deck of cards. Each player then places an initial bet, known as a blind or ante, to enter the pot. Players can then choose to call, raise or, if no one else has raised yet, check.

Once everyone has checked, the flop is revealed and betting continues. The flop can dramatically change the odds of a particular hand, so it’s important to pay attention to what your opponents are doing at this stage.

There’s an old saying in poker: “Play the player, not the cards.” In other words, your hand is good or bad only in relation to what other players are doing. For example, a pair of kings may not be too bad off the deal, but when another player holds A-A and checks before the flop, those kings are suddenly losers 82% of the time.

During late-game Poker, you should focus on staying aggressive, especially late into tournaments. Your opponents will be trying to hold onto their chips, so use that aggression to steal their blinds and orphaned pots! Also, pay attention to the chip stacks around the table – short-stacked players are particularly vulnerable and can be good targets for a SB min-raise.