If you ask people what it takes to win at poker, they’ll probably tell you that bluffing is crucial. While this is true to a certain extent, bluffing in the long run is not a great way to make money at the game, especially if you play low stakes.
The most important part of any hand of poker is understanding the range of possible hands that your opponent could have. This is something that many new players overlook and can result in them missing out on a lot of value. Once you understand the range, you can then start to make informed decisions about whether it is worth playing a particular hand or not.
Another key factor is the ability to use pot odds and value bets in order to extract the maximum amount of chips from your opponents when you have a strong hand. This requires a careful balance of risk versus reward and a good understanding of your opponents’ tendencies and reading the board.
Lastly, the ability to be patient and wait for an ideal chance to raise a bet. Many new players make the mistake of limping into a pot when they have a strong hand, but this is rarely the right move. Instead, you should be raising in order to put your opponent on a range of hands and price them out of the pot. If you can do this successfully, you should find that your draws are far more profitable than if you were simply calling every bet in the pot.