The Basics of Poker
Whether you are playing Texas Hold’em or Omaha, poker is a card game of chance. Players choose five cards to form a poker hand. When a hand is revealed, players can call, pass, or fold. The player with the best hand wins the pot.
Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The cards are ranked from Ace to Ace. Ties are broken by a high card. If more than one player has the same high card, then the winner is the player who has the highest card. If a hand has three cards of the same rank, it is called three of a kind. When a hand has two cards of the same rank and one card of a different rank, it is called a pair.
A pair is two cards of the same rank, and the highest of the two cards is the value of the hand. A pair can be made with an ace or a king. Two straights that have the same value will split the pot. If more than one player has a pair, then the highest straight wins.
Five of a kind is the highest card of the five cards in a hand. A five of a kind beats a straight flush. If more than one player has five of a kind, then the player with the highest card wins.
When a hand has three or four cards of the same rank, then the winner is the player who has two cards of the same rank and one other card of a different rank. Ties are broken by a high unmatched card.