Poker is a family of card games where players bet over which hand is best. Each variant has its own rules, but the basic premise is the same: players must wager a certain amount of money to start a poker game.
The winner of the hand takes the pot, which is the total amount of money bet in each round. If more than one player remains in a pot after a round, a showdown is held to determine who has the best hand.
A poker hand comprises five cards. The value of the hand is in inverse proportion to its frequency in the deck, with higher hands being more likely and lower hands less likely.
Royal flush is the highest-ranking hand, consisting of a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit. Straight flush is made up of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, and 4 of a kind is a hand consisting of 3 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank.
Typically, the game award the pot to the hand with the highest ranking; however, there are some variations that allow the lowest-ranked hand to win instead. These hands are known as “high low split” games, and the pot is divided between them according to the hand rankings.
Bluffing: The skill of bluffing is important in a game of poker. It involves making a bet that you have the best hand when you don’t; other players must call your bet or fold, and you win the pot.