Poker is a game that requires both mental and physical energy. Often, players will feel tired at the end of a long poker session. This is due to the high amount of concentration required to play the game.

In order to win at poker, it is important to develop a wide range of tactics. Having more than one plan can help to ensure that you are always ahead of your opponent and can make quick adjustments when necessary.

To improve your strategy, read a number of books on the subject and talk to other winning poker players. Ideally, find players who play the same stakes as you and discuss difficult spots they’ve found themselves in. This will help you understand different strategies and see how the winning players think about the game.

When you are in position to act, raise the pot size by saying “raise.” This will force weaker hands out of the hand and will increase the value of your pot.

The ante is the first amount of money that is put into the betting pool by all players. Then, you can say “call” to match the previous player’s bet and continue playing your hand. You can also say “fold” to get out of the hand and save your chips. The dealer then shuffles and deals the cards to the players.