During a hand of poker, a player is dealt five cards, and the aim is to make the best hand. The highest hand wins the pot, and if a tie exists, the high card breaks the tie. In some games, players can discard any of the cards to improve their hand.
The standard pack of cards used in most poker games is 52 cards. They are ranked from Ace low to Ace high. Some games include jokers and wild cards. These are cards that can substitute for any other card, and may take any suit.
The best natural hand in a poker hand is a straight flush, which is a series of five cards in the same suit. Two of the cards are pairs, and the third is a non-matching card. The ace can count either high or low, but cannot wraparound in a straight. The highest straight flush is called the Royal Flush, which is a straight flush ace that is high.
The highest pair of cards is two of the same rank, and is better than a pair of the lower rank. When two pairs of the same rank are compared, the higher pair will win. The second-highest odd card is the comparing card. In some variants of poker, the player who wins the tie will be required to show their cards.
The best hand in a tie is a three of a kind, which is three cards of the same rank, and two other cards of the same rank. If more than one person has a three of a kind, the high card breaks the tie. A four of a kind, or quad, is a set of four cards of the same rank. The higher of the two sets of fours will win.
The lowest straight is 5-4-3-2-A. This hand is not good off the deal, but the player with the highest three of a kind wins the pot. When a hand contains two straights of the same rank, it is called a mixed suit straight. When a straight is a three-way tie, the high card is the determining factor.
The highest flush is a sequence of five cards of the same suit. When two pairs of the same rank are equal, the higher pair will win. A high card breaks a tie when two people have the same high card, or when a group of people have the same high card. In this case, the higher straight or flush will win.
A four of a kind is a set of four cards of the highest rank, and a high card outside the four of a kind will break the tie. A pair of fours of the same rank is not known in English, but in some parts of Europe, this is referred to as poker. When a pair of fours of the same rank beats a pair of the higher rank, it is a full house.