There are a lot of skills required to become a good poker player, but one of the most important is discipline. You need to be able to make tough decisions throughout the session and stay focused. You must also commit to learning and improving your game. Although luck plays a role in poker, the best players know that they can control how much it influences their results.
There are different forms of the game, but the common goal is to win the pot — the total of all bets in any given deal. You can win the pot by having the highest-ranking hand or by making a bet that no other players call.
A good poker player pays attention to the tells of other players. This is especially true when they are not involved in the current hand. This allows them to take a more detached approach and notice small details that they would have missed had they been involved in the current hand.
In addition to noticing the tells of other players, a good poker player knows when to fold. They must be able to determine whether they have the goods, or if they are being bluffed by an opponent who is trying to make them believe that they have a better hand than they do. They must be able to recognize when they are facing a situation where it is worth the risk of losing their money by betting it.