Official poker is a card game in which players compete for an amount of money or chips contributed by each player (called the pot). Each player has an incomplete knowledge of his or her opponents and must make decisions based on this limited information. Players can increase their win rate by gaining more knowledge of their opponents’ actions, including what they’re doing with their hands. This is a difficult task and requires time and effort.

While many poker players do not intentionally play in a manner that violates the official rules, some do so on accident. Some examples of improper behavior include exposing cards while action is pending, putting an object on top of the hand to prevent other players from reading it, and moving the stack for breaking or level changes in a way that is unnecessarily disruptive to the game.

Another big no-no is angle shooting, which is a series of unethical moves that can give an opponent an unfair advantage. These moves can include trying to see an opponent’s hole cards, hiding their high-value chips, counting them, and more. The goal of these tricks is to get an advantage over the opponent by giving them false information about their stack size, and they’re not allowed under any circumstance.

Lastly, it’s important to play poker with a positive attitude. While this may seem obvious, a good attitude can go a long way in making you a better player. Losses shouldn’t ruin your confidence and wins should never be too exciting (unless you win a World Series of Poker bracelet, of course).