What Poker Is All About
Like most games, the object of poker is to win. Whether you're playing for fun or for money, poker will test your skills and strategic abilities.
There are many varieties of poker games but they all follow the same basic format:
- Players contribute toward a central 'pot' that contains play chips or chips representing actual money
- Players are dealt cards (a 'hand'), some or all of which are concealed
- Wagers are made on the strength of the cards in rounds of betting
- After the betting rounds are over, the player with the strongest hand - or the last player left standing after the others have folded - wins!
No matter which type of poker you want to play, it's crucial that you understand the deck and that you know the rank of hands.
The Deck of Cards
A deck consists of 52 cards. These cards are divided into four suits, each of which contains 13 ranks.
The Four Suits
The suits are all of equal value. That is to say, no suit is higher than any other suit.
The Thirteen Ranks
In poker, the Ace is the highest card and the 2 (Deuce) is the lowest. However, the Ace can be used as a low card to form the straight 5432A.
