The Basics of Poker

Poker

Generally speaking, the goal of poker is to get the best hand possible. Each player gets two cards and has a chance to use one or two of them to make their best hand. The best hand wins the pot.

A poker hand may be a straight, flush, three-of-a-kind, four-of-a-kind, five-of-a-kind or seven-of-a-kind. In some games, the pot is divided between the highest and lowest hands.

In most games, there are two or more rounds of betting. The betting intervals are typically done in clockwise order.

A “high card” breaks ties. This is especially true if multiple players are tied for the high card. For example, a pair of queens and a king will break a tie.

An “ante” is a small bet. In poker, an ante is usually $1 or $5. The ante is used to buy into the round of betting.

The ante may be used to create a special fund called kitty. The kitty is used to buy new decks of cards.

Poker is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. Some variant games include jokers. Some games use multiple packs of cards.

The kitty may also be used to pay for food. A “backdoor flush” occurs when a player hits the right cards on the turn and river.

The best poker hand is often considered to be a “trip” or a hand with three cards of the same suit. For example, a Q, Q, 6, 6 beats a J, Q, 6, 10.

A “backdoor flush” is achieved when a player hits two cards of the same suit.