Poker is a card game in which players compete against one another to win money by playing poker hands. There are many variations of the game, but the basic rules remain the same: Each player receives three cards and is allowed to bet or fold their hand.
The game is played clockwise around a table, starting with the player with the lowest hand. The player with the highest hand wins the pot.
There are two main types of poker: cash games and tournaments. In cash games, players bet continuously until one player has all the chips or everyone folds. In tournaments, the cards are revealed and a winner is determined.
High cards, Low cards and Hands
In standard poker, a high card is a single card of any rank that can be used to make a winning combination. The most common poker hand is the royal flush, which contains a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit (clubs, diamonds, hearts or spades).
Straights, Flushes, Full Houses and Pairs
In straights, you have 5 consecutive cards from the same suit; in flushes, you have any 5-card sequence from the same suit; in full houses, you have 3 matching cards of the same rank with 2 unmatched cards of a different rank.
Tells, Body Language and Facial Expressions
Every poker player has a tell; it is the unconscious habits and gestures that reveal information about their hand to other players. A good poker player is able to use their tells to their advantage and bet when they have a good chance of winning a large amount of money.