Typically, the player with the best hand wins the pot. In some poker variants, the pot is split between the highest and lowest hands.
In poker, each hand is made up of five cards. Four of them are ranked from ace to king and the fifth is ranked from jack to queen. A pair is made up of two cards of the same suit, while a flush is a group of cards of the same suit.
Ties are broken by a high card. For example, two four of a kind of the same rank break ties, as does a high card outside the four of a kind. The highest pair wins.
Poker is played by a group of people around an oval table. Each player is dealt five cards, and he must make the best five card hand.
Most poker games have a standard pack of 52 cards. The deck is shuffled by the initial dealer. A player who has an ace, queen, or king can choose to discard two cards to make a five-card hand.
The first round of betting begins with the player to the left of the button. This player must post a small blind, or ante. The dealer then shuffles the deck, deals cards to each player, and cuts the deck.
A showdown is then held. The player who has the best five-card hand wins the pot. The other players may fold.
When more than one player remains in the hand, the final round of betting occurs. The player with the best high hand wins half the pot. The other half goes to the player with the best low hand.