In poker, the goal is to create a five-card hand, known as a flush. This is a hand that contains four of the same rank and a fifth card of any suit. In a tie, the highest pair wins. Likewise, if two players have a pair of the same kind, the higher card wins. A hand can have fours of a kind, but the higher card wins. Here are some examples of hands that can make five-card hands.

In poker, a player begins by placing an ante (or “buy-in” bet) into a pot in the center of the table. Players then make bets into this pot, and the player with the best hand wins the pot. Bets are placed clockwise, and the round ends when all players have called or folded. For larger games, two separate games may be organized. But in most cases, the following basic rules apply.

There are many different versions of poker. The game may have originated in Persia. But, there is a more likely origin: in the seventeenth century, the French played a bluffing game called poque. This game influenced the German version of the game, which was called pochen. In addition, the French brought the game to the New World, where it was played in riverboats. Eventually, it spread throughout the world.

Pairs: A pair consists of two cards of equal rank. A pair beats an unpaired hand. A pair of jacks beats a pair of tens. If a pair of jacks or tens is higher, the high pair wins. Otherwise, the low pair wins. A hand of two pairs can be any combination of two cards of the same rank. A high pair can consist of four cards of the same rank, but an odd card may make the hand stronger or weaker.