Poker is a card game with an element of luck, but it also requires a lot of mental toughness. Winning a hand is not always easy and even the best players lose at some point, so it’s important to keep your wins in perspective and your losses in check. You can improve your game by studying strategy and playing with winning players. There are also many online forums where you can find people trying to learn the rules and talk through difficult hands with them.

When you say “call” in poker, it means that you are making a bet equal to the last person’s. Saying “call” before you’ve had a chance to look at your cards is not a good idea and can make the game more difficult for everyone involved.

If you want to win in poker, it’s important to play strong starting hands. A good poker hand usually includes a pair of matching rank cards and three unrelated side cards. The highest ranking poker hand is a royal flush which is made up of a 10, Jack, Queen, and King of the same suit, or a straight flush with 5 consecutive cards of the same suit (such as 4 aces).

The dealer will then put down a fifth community card on the table. This is the “river” and there will be one final betting round. The player with the best poker hand at this point will win the pot.