Poker is a card game that involves chance and psychology. It is also a game that requires knowledge of probability and math. Whether you play poker for fun or to make money, it is important to develop your own strategy. This can be done through detailed self-examination or by talking with other players.

The first round of betting in a hand is initiated by 2 mandatory bets, called blinds, that are placed into the pot by the players to the left of the dealer. Once the cards are dealt, each player can choose to call (match the amount that was bet before), raise or fold.

When raising, you must put the same number of chips into the pot as the player to your left. You can also bet more than the player to your left, and say “raise” or “I raise” to indicate that you are adding to the pot.

Limping into a pot is not a good strategy. It gives opponents an easy pass to see the flop for cheap with mediocre hands, and it sends out a signal that you have a weak hand. If you want to stay in the hand, it is usually better to raise than to call. This will price a lot of the worse hands out of the pot. You should only limp in late position when your hand is very strong and you can easily steal the blinds. Exceptions are made when you have suited connectors or other hands that are flop specific and have decent implied odds.