The game of poker is a fascinating window into human psychology, and it can also be an excellent way to hone your bluffing skills. However, it’s important to remember that this is a game of incomplete information — you can’t see your opponents’ hands. Therefore, every action you take (like folding, calling, raising, etc.) gives away bits of information to the other players, which they can use to build a story about your hand strength and intentions.

Getting started in poker requires more than just a keen eye and a bucket of confidence. It’s essential to have a solid understanding of the rules and terminology of the game, so that you can communicate effectively with your fellow players. To help you get started, we’ve put together a handy list of key poker terms below.

Antes

A small bet that all players have to contribute before a hand is dealt. Antes give the pot a lot of value right off the bat, and can be used to raise your own bets later in the hand.

Bluffing

The ability to bluff is an essential part of any poker strategy, but it’s not always easy to do. Bluffing successfully requires a good read on your opponent’s tendencies, and you have to be confident enough to risk losing your whole stack on a bluff. There are many different bluffing strategies, but the best ones involve betting early in a hand and then checking or raising on the flop to force weaker hands to fold.

Slow playing

A common mistake that many new poker players make is to play too many hands, which can bleed them out and leave them open to be exploited by other players with strong starting hands. As a rule, you should only call or raise when the odds of making your draw are in your favor.

Hand strength

When you’re playing poker, hand strength is the combination of card rank and suit that makes up your hand. For example, a full house is three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another, while a flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit.

A good poker player knows how to assess their hand’s strength and will play it accordingly. For example, if they have a good starting hand like AQ, it’s often worth raising pre-flop to scare off opponents who don’t belong in the pot. This will give them the chance to win a big pot on the flop and river, or improve their hand by hitting a needed card on the turn or river. If they’re not in the mood to risk it all on a bluff, however, they should fold.