Poker is a card game with many variants and strategies. It is played between 2 and 14 players and the goal of the game is to win the pot, which is the sum of all the bets made in one deal. The players put money into the pot voluntarily, either because they believe that their bet has positive expected value or to bluff other players.
The first thing that beginners need to do in order to improve their poker strategy is to learn how to play tight. This means only betting with strong hands and not calling weak ones. It is also important to understand hand rankings and the importance of position at a table. Finally, players need to learn to bluff properly in order to improve their chances of winning pots.
It is also important to learn how to say the right things at the table. This includes announcing that you have a bet, raising it, and folding. Saying the correct things will help other players avoid making mistakes and give you an advantage over them.
If the player to your left raises a bet, you should say “call” or “I call” and place chips into the pot equal to the amount raised by the player before you. In some situations, players may decide to place all their remaining chips into the pot and this is known as going all-in. This type of bet has special rules depending on the particular game being played.