All about Poker

Courtesy of GoddessPoker.com

General Poker Rules

(Learn more about types of poker games here)

Poker is normally played with a single card deck of 52 cards.

The cards are ranked, from high to low: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. Aces count as low card or high card.

Rank of Cards Dealt (hands)

Royal Flush: Ace, king, queen, jack, ten all in the same suit. Odds are very slim that anyone can have this hand.  It is the Royal of all the hands in poker!

Straight Flush: Five cards, of any but same suit, in numerical sequence. 

Four of a Kind: Any four cards ranks the same.

Full House: Three of the same cards along with a pair.

Flush: Five cards all of the same suit.  Ranking counts in highest card, so if you have a King high flush and someone else has an Ace high flush - they would win.

Straight: Five cards of any suit in sequence.

Three of a Kind: Three of the same ranked cards.

Two Pair: Two sets of pairs of cards.

Pair: Two cards of equal rank.

High Card: If nobody has a decent hand then high card wins. If two players have the same high card, then the winner goes to the tie with the next highest card in their hand.

The Play

The cards are dealt in a clockwise fashion, then players bet into the pot in the middle in the same order. At the end of the hand, the highest hand (that hasn't folded) wins the money. On a turn, you have one of three choices:

Call
When you call, you bet enough to match what has been bet since the last bet on the table.  

Raise
When you raise, you first bet enough to match what has been bet (as in calling), then you 'raise' the bet a further amount.  

Fold
When you fold, you drop out of the current hand and you lose your chance of winning but you don't have to put any further money into the pot.  You can opt to fold at the start of the round when it comes to your turn.

Betting continues until everyone calls or folds after a raise or initial bet.  

Learn more about types of poker games here.