THE DECK

A deck consists of 52 cards that are divided into 4 suits, with each suit having 13 ranks. All the suits are all of equal value. In poker, the Ace is the highest card and the Deuce (2) is the lowest.

POKER HAND RANKINGS

A poker hand consists of five playing cards. The player with the highest poker hand wins the poker game. If two players have hands in the same category, then the tie is broken by the one who has higher cards. Some of the common poker hand rankings are given below.

Straight Flush: A Straight Flush consists of 5 cards in a sequence, all of the same suit. The higher straight flush wins. AKQJT is the highest straight flush, also called a royal flush. And 5432A is the lowest straight flush also called a wheel.
4-of-a-kind: The highest 4-of-a-kind hand wins. If two players have the same 4-of-a-kind, then the highest kicker i.e. the 5th card wins.

Full House: A full house consists of a 3-of-a-kind and a pair. If two players have the same 3-of-a-kind hand then the highest pair wins. It is also known as a boat.

Flush: A Flush consists of five cards of the same suit. The higher flush wins. The highest card from each hand is compared, then the second highest, and so on.

3-of-a-kind: The highest 3-of-a-kind hand wins. If two hands have the same 3-of-a-kind hand then the 2 kickers i.e. the unpaired cards are used to break the tie. It is also known as trips.

Two Pair: The hand with the highest top pair wins. If the top pairs are equal, then the bottom pairs are used to break the tie. If those are also equal, then the kicker i.e. the unpaired card is used to break the tie.

Pair: The hand with the highest pair wins. If the pairs are equal, then the kickers are used to break the tie, first by comparing the highest kicker, then the 2nd highest kicker, and finally the lowest kicker.

BASIC POKER BETTING RULES

If there are no bets then the player has two options:

Bet: The player can put in one bet into the pot. The other players must call that bet, or else they must fold.

Check: The player can choose not to put in any money into the pot. If no one bets, then the game continues with everyone still in the hand.

If there is a bet, then the player has following options:

Fold: The player doesn't put in any more money, but is out of the hand and cannot win any money. Any money that has been put into the pot up to this point is also lost.

Call: The player puts in money equal to the amount of bet and stays in the hand. The game play continues and the next card is dealt, unless someone else raises.

Raise: The player puts money into the pot equal to the amount bet so far, plus the raise money. All the other players must call your raise or fold or reraise the player.

Showdown: If there is more than one player left after all the cards have been dealt, and everyone has called on the last round of betting after that card is dealt, then those players show their hands. The one who holds the best poker hand wins all the money in the pot. If there is a tie, then all hands split the pot in equal amounts.

POKER BETTING STRUCTURES

Limit Poker: It is also called fixed-limit poker. Bets and raises in this betting structure are limited to a fixed size. The players cannot make a smaller or larger bet.

No-Limit Poker: No-limit poker involves the most strategy of all the betting structures. There is no limit to the maximum bet you can make in any betting round. However, there is a minimum bet amount, which is equal to the big blind.

Pot-Limit Poker: It is a popular game online. It is very similar to no-limit poker as the minimum bet is again equal to the big blind, and the maximum bet is the amount of money in the pot.