The Basics of Poker
During each betting interval, a player must choose whether to call or raise. If they call, they must put in a certain number of chips equal to the total contribution of the player before them. If they don’t, they’re said to fold.
The goal of poker is to form the best hand possible. This is achieved by hitting needed cards on the turn and river. If a player doesn’t hit a card on the turn or river, he’s said to check.
A hand containing three cards of the same rank is called three of a kind. A hand of three cards of a different rank is called a straight. A hand of five cards of the same suit is a flush.
A full house is made up of three aces and two 6s. A trip is made up of three kings and one jack. A pair of kings isn’t bad off the deal.
A flush is all cards of the same suit. If you’re holding an ace, you can either bet or fold. You can also bluff other players.
A high card breaks ties when multiple players have a higher card. For example, if two fours of a kind have the same rank, a high card outside the fours will break the tie. If a player has a high pair of cards, the pot is won.
When no player matches the bet, the player to the left of the last player who matched the bet takes the pot. This is also called a showdown.