Poker is a game of chance and skill that requires a good deal of patience and understanding of the odds. It’s also a great way to develop a positive outlook on life and can help you learn how to take your losses with grace. This kind of resilience can help you in many other aspects of your life, including being able to deal with stress and depression.

Initially, the best thing to do is focus on learning the rules of the game. This is a simple process, and there are several resources that can help you get started. Then, it’s a good idea to study some charts so that you know what hands beat what. This will allow you to make better decisions in the future when you are playing.

Another key aspect of poker is learning how to read your opponents’ actions. This can be difficult in a live game, but you can practice by analyzing your opponents for physical tells and watching how they play online. The goal is to predict what they have in their hand, so you can make better decisions about whether or not to call a bet.

A common mistake that new players make is trying to put their opponent on a specific hand. This can be impossible, so more experienced players work out the range of possible hands and compare those odds to the risk of calling a bet. For example, if an opponent moves all in and you have a strong value hand, you should consider calling the bet if the odds of getting a better hand are greater than 11-to-1.