Object of the Game
The goal of each player is to win the pot, which contains all the
bets that the players have made in any one deal. A player makes a bet in hopes that
they have the best pot, which to give the impression that they do. In most Poker
versions, the top combination of five cards is the best hand.
The Deal
Each player
receives two cards face down and then one card face up, dealt one at a time in
rotation.
The Play
After the initial deal, there is a betting interval. Each active
player receives three more face up cards and one more face down card, with a betting
interval after each round of cards dealt. In the showdown, each player turns up all of
their hole cards and selects five of their seven cards as their hand. The player must
separate these cards from the other two, which they discard. The player cannot reclaim
their discards upon finding that a better five-card combination could have been
made.
Poker Hand
Five of a Kind - This is the highest possible hand and can occur only
where at least one card is wild, such as a Joker. Examples of five of a kind would be
four 10s and a wild card or two Queens and three wild cards.
Straight Flush - This is
the highest possible hand when only the standard pack is used, and there are no wild
cards. A straight flush consists of five cards of the same suit in sequence, such as
10, 9, 8, 7, 6 of hearts.
Four of a Kind - This is the next highest hand. An example is
four aces or four 3s.
Full House - This colorful hand is made up of three cards of one
rank and two cards of another rank, such as three 8s and two 4s.
Flush - Five cards all
of the same suit, but not all in sequence, is a flush. An example is Q, 10, 7, 6, and 2
of clubs.
Straight - Five cards in sequence, but not all of the same suit is a
straight. An example is 9♥, 8♣, 7♠, 6♦, 5♥.
Three of a Kind - This combination contains
three cards of the same rank, and the other two cards each of a different rank, such as
three Jacks, a seven, and a four.
Two Pairs - This hand contains a pair of one rank and
another pair of a different rank, plus any fifth card of a different rank, such as Q,
Q, 7, 7, 4.
One Pair - This frequent combination contains just one pair with the other
three cards being of different rank. An example is 10, 10, K, 4, 3.
No Pair - This very
common hand contains "nothing." None of the five cards pair up, nor are all five cards
of the same suit or consecutive in rank. When more than one player has no pair, the
hands are rated by the highest card each hand contains, so that an ace-high hand beats
a king-high hand, and so on.
