Poker is a game that involves a lot of chance. But, it also involves a lot of skill, psychology, and mathematics. And if you don’t employ these skills, you’re going to lose.

Beginners often misplay their hands and it’s okay to do that when you’re learning. However, there are some mistakes that can be really costly and a few simple tweaks can go a long way towards improving your win rate.

To start, you should always be able to understand your opponent’s range. When playing poker, a range refers to the selection of hands that your opponent could hold in a certain situation. While new players will try to put an opponent on a specific hand, more advanced players will work out the full range of possible hands that their opponent could have and then calculate how likely it is they would beat them with those hands.

Next, it’s important to play with money that you’re willing to lose. Unless you’re winning at a very high percentage, it’s not worth risking more than you can afford to lose. You should always try to maximize your chances of winning by pushing out weaker hands, bluffing, and playing in positions that are optimal for your hand strength.