Poker is a card game where players try to get the best hand possible. It is one of the oldest games in the world and is believed to be the ancestor of other popular card games such as blackjack and rummy.
Basics
Poker can be played in many variations and each version of the game has different rules. However, most versions of the game involve dealing cards, betting rounds, and a central pot that is accumulated by all players.
Cards
In poker, each player is dealt a hand of five cards. These cards are then combined with the cards in the community pot to form a poker hand called a “hand.”
High Card
In a standard high-card hand, the highest card wins. This hand can be a straight, flush, full house, four of a kind, three of a kind, or two pair.
The highest single card is a royal flush, which contains 10 through Ace of the same suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades). This is the most valuable hand in poker and can only be tied by another straight.
One Pair
A pair is a hand of two cards of the same rank and another card of a different rank. When more than one player has a pair, the highest pair wins.
Straight Flush
A straight is a hand of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, but not in sequence. The straight of the higher card wins.
There are several common mistakes that beginners make while playing poker. Some of them include: