Poker is a card game that involves betting between players and requires a significant amount of skill. It has several variants, but most involve forming a hand of five cards and winning the pot (the sum of all bets placed). The games vary in the number of cards dealt, whether they are face up or down, and the rules for raising and folding. Some also include wild cards or other special rules.

While luck is an important part of any poker hand, the majority of a player’s decisions are made using information they acquire during the hand. This includes knowledge of how to play each hand, observing other players’ behavior, and reading tells. Unlike most card games, which require a lot of concentration and memory to play, poker is fast-paced and can be played with a small group of people around a table.

Aggression is an essential part of a good tournament strategy, but it’s important to balance survival and chip accumulation. You don’t want to clash with other players by 3-betting every raise, but you should exploit their glaring mistakes and try to steal as many blinds and orphaned pots as possible.

Learning to read your opponents is an invaluable poker skill. While general reading skills are helpful, there are specific details to watch for in poker: watching how a player moves their chips and cards, their mood changes, and their response times. Practice and observe other experienced players to develop quick instincts.