The most important thing to remember is that poker is a game, and it’s okay to lose some games. In fact, most of the best players in the world lost money when they first started playing. The key is to keep improving and never stop learning.

Learn the Rules: Familiarize yourself with the basic rules of poker, including betting rounds and structure. You should also study hand rankings and betting strategies. Read Foundational Books: There are several good poker books available to help you improve your game. However, you should avoid reading too many books at once as they can overwhelm and confuse you.

Watch for Tells: Learn how to spot tells from other players. These can be as simple as the way they play. For example, if someone takes a long time before acting on their hand, it’s usually a sign of weakness. On the other hand, if someone raises a large amount of money on a small bet, they’re probably holding a strong hand.

Understand Position: The later you are in the hand, the less risk you take. This is because players before you will have more information about your hand and can adjust accordingly. Also, the players after you will have no idea what you’re holding, so they can call or raise at their discretion.

If you have a strong value hand, bet big to inflate the pot size and put pressure on weaker hands. But be sure to fold if the flop doesn’t make your hand. Otherwise, you’ll be throwing money away by calling every card just hoping that you get lucky and make a straight or flush.