Objective
Every hand of poker is played for a pot: the pile of chips that players bet during that hand. There are two ways to take it. Either you hold the best five-card hand when the remaining players turn their cards over (the showdown), or you make a bet that nobody is willing to match, so everyone else folds and the pot is yours without a showdown.
Over a session, the goal is simply to finish with more chips than you started with. Good players win big pots with strong hands and lose small ones with weak hands.
Setup
Agree on the stakes before the first deal: what each chip color is worth and how much anyone can bet at one time. Give everyone the same stack of chips. Pick a first dealer by dealing a card to each player; high card deals. In games with a rotating button, a small disc marks the dealer position and moves one seat to the left after every hand.
Each hand starts with forced bets so there is something to play for. In draw and stud games this is usually an ante, a small amount that every player puts in. In Hold ’em style games it is two blinds: the player left of the button posts a small blind and the next player posts a big blind, usually twice as much.
Aces are high. They can also be low in one hand only, the five-high straight (5-4-3-2-A). Suits have no rank.
How to play
Once the cards are dealt, players act in turn, starting to the left of the dealer (or the left of the big blind in the first round of a blinds game). On your turn you have five possible actions. Check means you pass without betting, which is only allowed if nobody has bet yet this round. Bet puts chips in when nobody else has. Call matches the current bet. Raise matches the bet and adds more. Fold gives up your cards and any claim to the pot.
A betting round ends when every player still in the hand has put in the same amount, or when only one player is left. Then the game moves on: more cards are dealt, or players draw replacements, and another betting round follows.
After the final betting round, the players who are left show their cards. The best five-card hand wins the whole pot. If you are the only player left, you take the pot and you do not have to show your cards.
- 1Post the ante or the blinds
- 2Deal the cards for the game you are playing
- 3Bet in turn: check, bet, call, raise or fold
- 4Deal or draw more cards, then bet again
- 5Show down: the best five-card hand wins the pot
Scoring
Poker has no point score. What matters is the rank of your five-card hand. The list below runs from strongest to weakest, and every variant uses it unless the rules say otherwise.
| Hand | Example | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠ | Ace-high straight, all one suit |
| Straight flush | 9♥ 8♥ 7♥ 6♥ 5♥ | Five in sequence, all one suit |
| Four of a kind | Q Q Q Q 7 | Four cards of one rank |
| Full house | 8 8 8 K K | Three of a kind plus a pair |
| Flush | A♦ J♦ 9♦ 6♦ 3♦ | Five of one suit, not in sequence |
| Straight | 10 9 8 7 6 | Five in sequence, mixed suits |
| Three of a kind | 7 7 7 K 2 | Three cards of one rank |
| Two pair | J J 4 4 9 | Two different pairs |
| One pair | 10 10 A 6 3 | Two cards of one rank |
| High card | A Q 8 5 2 | None of the above |
When two hands are the same type, the higher ranks win: a pair of kings beats a pair of nines. If the main cards tie, compare the leftover cards (the kickers) one at a time from the top. A-A-K-7-4 beats A-A-Q-J-10 because the king outranks the queen.
Variations
Draw poker: each player gets five private cards, bets, swaps some of them for new ones, and bets again. Five-card draw is the classic kitchen-table game.
Stud poker: players get a mix of face-down and face-up cards over several rounds, with a betting round after each. Seven-card stud deals three down and four up, and you make your best five from all seven.
Community card poker: players hold a few private cards and share a set of face-up cards in the middle. Texas Hold ’em, with two private cards and five shared ones, is the most played poker game in the world.
Betting limits change the feel of any of these. Fixed-limit games set the size of every bet. Pot-limit caps a bet at the size of the pot. No-limit lets you bet everything in front of you at any time. Home games also add wild cards, split pots between the best high and best low hand, and dealer’s choice, where each dealer picks the game.
Tips from the table
Fold more than you think you should. Most starting hands are losers, and the chips you keep by folding early are as real as the chips you win.
Pay attention to position. Acting last in a betting round is a big edge, because you see what everyone else does before you decide.
Act only in turn, announce raises out loud, and put your bet in a neat stack in front of you rather than tossing it into the pot. Keep your cards on the table and in view, and never show your hand to a player who is still in. These habits stop most arguments before they start.
Video Guides Are on the Way
We’re filming Game Guides that walk through full hands at the table, from the deal to the score.
Frequently asked
Does a flush beat a straight?
Yes. A flush is harder to make, so it ranks higher. A full house beats both.
Is the ace high or low?
High, except in the five-high straight (5-4-3-2-A), where it counts as the lowest card. It cannot wrap around, so Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight.
Can I check after someone has already bet?
No. Once a bet is made in a round, you can only call, raise or fold.
Do I have to show my cards if everyone folds?
No. If you are the last player in, you take the pot and your cards stay private.
New rules every month
Get the next game before it hits the site.
