Poker is a card game in which players place chips (representing money, for which the game is almost always played) into a pot. A player may also raise the amount of his own bet, or check (not placing any chips into the pot). Players in turn act according to the rules of the particular poker variant being played.
In poker, cards are dealt into a circular area, known as the pot. Each player must ante something (amount varies by game, our games require a nickel) before being dealt cards. The highest hand wins the pot.
The highest hand is a Royal Flush, consisting of a 10 Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit. A Full House is three matching cards of one rank and two matching cards of another rank. A Flush is five cards of consecutive rank, but not in the same suit. A Straight is five cards that are in numerical order but not in the same suit.
Ties are broken by ranking the next card in the hand. For example, a pair of 7s beats four of a kind, which in turn beats a high card, and so on. If no hand meets any of the above criteria, the highest card breaks ties. For this reason, it is very important to study the math involved in poker and to use this knowledge while playing. As you play more and learn the game, you will become accustomed to the numbers and will be able to count cards automatically during hands.