Poker is a game of chance, but it also involves quite a bit of skill. In the early stages of a hand, players are putting in resources before they have complete information. Unlike chess, where all information is immediately available, in poker there are often gaps of knowledge that must be filled with guesswork and intuition.
When you are dealt a good hand, such as a pair of kings, it is important to play it aggressively. Checking the flop with weak hands signals weakness and allows opponents to make strong hands at a lower cost. However, it is important to be careful not to overplay your hand and end up betting too much.
In addition, players need to understand how to read other players. This includes reading body language, observing the way that other players react to different situations and using software to collect behavioral dossiers of other players. Online poker eliminates the advantage of in-person knowledge such as cues and eye contact that some players use to gain an edge, but professional poker players have mastered the art of extracting signal from noise and integrating this into their strategies.
Another consideration is position, which can make a big difference in your starting hand range and strategy. The earlier your position, the more risk you take because you must act before other players have a chance to see how your hand ranks and determine whether or not it is worth calling a raise.