Generally, the aim of poker is to have the highest ranking hand of cards. The first step to achieving this is to place your chips in the pot. Once you have placed your chips, you may decide to raise, fold or check. If you choose to raise, all other players must call. If you choose to fold, you will discard your cards and no longer compete for the pot.
If there are more than two pairs of the same rank, the higher pair wins. In case of a tie, the second pair wins. If there is only one pair of the same rank, the high card breaks the tie. If there are no pairs of the same rank, the high card and the odd card determine which pair wins. In a tie, the highest unmatched fifth card breaks the tie.
A five of a kind (also called a quad) is a hand composed of four cards of the same rank. This type of hand can be broken up into a flush, straight, or trip. A flush is a hand of five cards of the same suit, while a straight is a hand of five cards of the higher value. If a four of a kind is broken up into a flush, straight, and trip, then the five of a kind is better than the four of a kind.
Three of a kind is a hand with three cards of the same rank, and two cards of a different rank. The three of a kind can include an ace, king, and deuce. A pair is a hand of two cards of the same rank and two cards of a different rank.
A pair of kings is a good hand, but not a great one off the deal. A pair of jacks, however, is better than a pair of tens. A pair of jacks is better than a pair of nines, and a pair of kings is better than a pair of tens.
A straight flush starts with the highest value card. The next highest card determines the higher flush. If there are two pairs of the same rank, the second pair wins. In case there are no pairs of the same rank, a pair of jacks wins. A pair of kings and a pair of jacks wins if the highest pair is a pair of jacks and the second pair is a pair of kings.
The fifth card can be any card. A pair of kings beats a pair of jacks, and a pair of kings beats a two pair. If a pair of kings is broken up into a flush, straight, two pair, and three of a kind, then the five of a kind wins.
A four of a kind (also called a flush) is a hand with four cards of the same rank, and the fifth card is a different rank. A four of a kind can also be broken up into a straight, a flush, and three of a kind. A four of a kind is known as a quad in some parts of Europe.
