Poker is one of the world’s most popular card games and is played by people from all walks of life. It’s a game that requires strategy, planning and, of course, luck. Whether you’re just starting out or are an experienced player, here are some tips to improve your poker game.

Keep in mind that your poker hand is only good or bad in relation to what your opponent has. For example, your kings may be fantastic, but if the other player has an A-A and the flop comes 10-8-6 your kings are losers 82% of the time. The best way to improve your odds of winning is by learning more about how your opponents play.

You can learn a lot about your opponents by watching how they bet and their betting patterns. If they raise when you check to them, it’s important to have a plan B or even plan C, D, E and F to combat their aggression.

When dealing cards, it is important to wash the deck. This involves spreading out the cards and mixing them across the table before gathering them together. This helps introduce chance and genuine randomness to the game. Without it, players would be able to predict the cards that will come up on later streets and gain an unfair advantage.

A basic poker strategy is to play in position as often as possible. This allows you to see more of your opponents’ ranges and will also give you the ability to control the size of the pot.