The game is about patience and risk management, but mostly patience. At a 9 person table you should only be looking to get involved in 10-15% of hands (% varies based on number of players. I doubt you're playing 9 handed, but that's what I usually play so that's the % I know.) That means at the absolute maximum for every 6 hands you're you should fold 5 of them before the flop. Now you might think that this sounds boring as fuck. It is. It takes a lot of control, but this is how you play the game properly (read profitably.) The best place to start if you really want to learn poker is to get your starting range down pact and stick to it. You can just google a starting range chart and memorize it. After that things get much more complicated which is why I can't stress enough why you should only be playing the best 10-15% of hands; it makes your decisions much easier. As for post flop, I suggest only staying in the hand if you have a draw or top pair or better. Also, when you're first learning the game **never fucking bluff**