In the game of poker, each player is dealt two cards, one face down and the other hidden, called their hole and pocket. The turn to deal and bet passes from player to player, with the player to the left of the big blind beginning the betting phase. After the first three cards are dealt, 3 more cards are dealt face up on the center of the table, known as the flop. Each player uses these cards to build a five-card hand.
The lowest possible hand is a straight flush, which is a set of five cards of the same suit. An ace may be high or low, but cannot wraparound another card. An ace high straight flush is called a Royal Flush. The player who bets that he has the best hand wins if the other players match the bet. In other words, if he has the best hand, he wins!
In addition to the ante and the hole cards, other poker hands have higher odds. The straight flush, for instance, is the highest-ranking hand. It’s a combination of the A, Q, J, and 10 of the same suit. The odds of this being dealt are approximately 1:650,000. Four-of-a-kind is the next highest hand. A four-of-a-kind combination of any card is a straight.