Poker is a card game played between two or more players and involves betting. A player must make a five-card hand from their own two cards and the community cards in order to win a pot (all the chips that have been bet so far). The game relies on incomplete information: players do not know what other people are holding, but they can assess the probability of different scenarios. This kind of decision making under uncertainty is common in other areas, such as business or finance, and requires the ability to weigh probabilities against expectations based on experience.
One of the most important things a poker player can do is to keep their opponents guessing about what they have in their hands. This is known as playing a balanced style. If your opponent knows what you have, they’re less likely to pay off on your bluffs and more likely to call your strong hands.
A good poker player will also be able to read their opponents’ body language. This includes observing facial expressions, body movements, the manner and content of their speech and other unintentional signals that reveal whether a player is bluffing or has a strong hand. These clues are called tells and can include anything from a slight touch of the face to obsessively peeking at good or bad cards or chip stacks, twitching of the eyebrows or darting of the eyes to a change in the tone of voice.