The Basics of Poker

Poker is a card game in which players place bets into a pool, called the pot. The highest hand wins the pot. The game can be played with as few as two and as many as fourteen players. There are several variants of the game, but most use a standard 52-card English deck with no jokers or wild cards.

In the early game each player receives one card face down, called their hole card, and one card face up. The deal is followed by a betting interval. A player may raise a bet or fold his hand.

A pair is two cards of the same rank, such as ace and king or ten and deuce. In the event of a tie, the higher-ranking pair wins.

Three of a kind is three cards of the same rank, such as three jacks or sixes. In the event of a tie, ties are broken by the highest unmatched card (eights beat sevens).

Four of a kind is four cards of the same rank, such as J-8-5-3-8-J-8-5-3-8. The high card outside the four of a kind breaks any ties.

A flush is all the cards of the same suit. The highest flush wins. In the event of a tie, winnings are shared.