Poker is a card game that has become wildly popular and is now played in casinos, private homes, and over the Internet. It has even earned the moniker of “the national card game.” Although it’s not physically strenuous, it can be extremely taxing on the mind. It requires attention to detail, concentration, and the ability to control your emotions at a high level.

The first step to becoming a better poker player is to understand the game’s rules. Then you must develop good instincts by practicing and watching experienced players. The more you observe how they play, the faster and better you will get at the game.

A good poker player will read the other players at the table and pick up on their tells. Tells are unconscious habits that reveal information about a player’s hand. These can be as subtle as a change in posture or as obvious as a facial expression. Common tells include shallow breathing, sighing, nostrils flaring, flushing red, eye watering, eyebrows raising, shaking hands, and an increasing pulse seen in the neck or temple.

It’s important to understand how to read players at the table and identify them as conservative or aggressive. A conservative player will generally fold early in a hand and is easily bluffed by more aggressive players. On the other hand, a player who raises early in a hand is likely bluffing and has a strong hand. This is the type of player you want to target with your bluffs.