Whether you are new to poker or a seasoned pro, there are some common poker lingo and concepts that are useful to understand. Poker is a card game where players bet into a pot of chips. The goal is to make the best poker hand possible. Usually, the highest-ranking hand wins the pot. Players can win by bluffing, making a bet that no one else calls, or by simply having the best hand.
The best hand is a straight flush, which is five cards in the same suit. However, a straight flush can be low or high. A straight flush with an ace high is known as the Royal Flush. Similarly, a straight flush containing aces and nines is the ace-high version of a straight flush. Likewise, a straight flush containing an ace high and two-three-four is called a full house.
A poker hand containing two distinct pairs and a fifth card, known as a straight, is the oh-so-pretty ace-high flush. However, a hand with two distinct pairs and an ace high is not quite as impressive as a full house. In some variants of poker, players can bet into the pot containing more than one pack of cards. This is the ante. The amount of ante varies by game.
The best hand is probably a straight flush with two aces, a king, and two three-fours. A pair of kings is a good off-the-deal hand, but it is unlikely to beat a straight flush or a royal flush. A pair of kings is also not as good a hand as a full house.
Poker has a long and complicated rule-set. The basics of poker include the standard pack of 52 cards, the betting intervals, and the “showdown” or hand-to-hand combat. A poker game can be played with any number of players, but the ideal number is usually six to eight. If the amount of money in the pot is not enough for all the players to compete, players may be required to make a contribution prior to the deal.
A “show” is the point where each active player shows off his hand. A “show” can be a small victory or a big one, depending on the players involved. When there is a small victory, it is called a “bluff.” In some games, players can use wild cards to make a hand. A wild card is any card in the deck that is not a suit. These cards may be low or high, but are generally used to improve an otherwise unattractive hand. In some games, the “show” is a good time to bet.
A “high card” breaks a tie, especially if multiple people are tied for the best card. In some games, a joker is used to make a hand, and in some games, a joker counts as the fifth card in certain special hands. In Texas hold’em, players can use community cards in combination with their hole cards to build five-card hands.