Poker is a card game that can be played with anywhere from two to ten players. Each player is dealt two cards called their “hole” cards that other players can’t see. The object of the game is to win the pot, which is the aggregate of all bets made in a hand. A player can win the pot by making a high-ranking poker hand, or by betting so much that other players call.

If you have a good starting hand, it’s always better to check than to raise early in the hand. This is because checking forces another player to put more money into the pot before seeing their cards, and that’s a great way to encourage competition in the hand.

When you do decide to raise, be careful not to over-raise your opponent. This is an easy mistake to make in poker, as new players often look for cookie-cutter advice such as “always 3bet X hands” or “always check-raise your flush draws.” Unfortunately, these pieces of advice are almost always wrong, and it’s important to learn how to read the table to know when you should be raising and when you should be folding.

One of the most common mistakes new players make is getting too attached to their good hands. Pocket kings or pocket queens are strong starting hands, but a bad flop can spell disaster. It’s also important to be wary of calling a big re-raise from an aggressive player in late position, as this is a common tactic used by weak players.