The game of poker is played with chips that represent money, and the amount a player puts into the pot determines his stake in the hand. The chips have different values, and the most common are white and red.

The player to the left of the dealer starts betting, and then each player places his chips in the pot in turn. The player whose hands are the strongest at the end of the betting will win. It is not uncommon for several players to still be holding a hand after the flop.

One of the most important things to remember when playing poker is that your opponent’s hand is usually only good or bad in relation to what he is holding. For example, if you have a pair of kings and the other player has J-J, your kings will lose 82% of the time.

Another thing to remember is that you should be betting aggressively in order to push out weaker hands and raise the value of your own hand. It’s easy for new players to call a lot with hands like middle pair, and this can make it difficult to get paid off on your big bluffs.

A beginner must learn to read his opponents. This involves observing their body language and looking for tells. Tells can be anything from fiddling with a coin or a ring to how a player moves his eyes when making decisions. It is crucial for a beginner to become observant of his opponent’s tells, as this will help him to determine the strength of his own hand.