Online poker is a fun, accessible and intellectually thrilling game that rewards actual skill unlike slots or the lottery. But, like any form of gambling it comes with the potential to lose money so you should always be mindful of the amount you’re playing for and don’t gamble with cash that you can’t afford to lose.

When you play poker online, hands are dealt much faster than in a live game. There’s no waiting while cards are being shuffled or the table takes a bathroom break and it can be tempting to get frustrated when you don’t see a good hand for a while. But don’t let that make you play bad hands as it will likely cost you money in the long run.

To help you avoid this, learn all the possible poker hands and understand their ranks. This will massively improve your decision-making as you will be able to calculate pot odds and assign ranges in real time. It will also force you to think differently about the game and consider your position, bluffing strategy and more.

It’s important to remember that poker is a game of chance over the long haul, but if you put in the work by signing up for training sites, networking with successful pros and brutally analyzing your own game on a regular basis then you can improve your chances of winning big. But, even the best poker players in the world will still experience some big losses sometimes. So don’t take a loss personally and keep grinding it out.