Poker is a family of card games played worldwide. The rules and deck configuration vary, but all involve one or more rounds of betting, where the player with the highest hand wins the pot.
Basics
The cards in a poker hand are ranked from high to low. Each hand is considered the best possible hand if all of the cards are the same suit or consecutive in rank (two pair, one pair, etc.). If two or more hands tie on the same suit or rank, they all break ties by looking at the highest card in their hands.
General Rule
The best natural hand is a straight flush. A straight flush has five cards in order, with an ace either high or low. A king-high straight flush is called a royal flush and is the highest natural hand.
Four of a Kind
A hand with four of the same card, such as J-8-5-3-2, all of spades. If there are two or more hands with this combination, the high-rank four of a kind wins.
Ties in a High-Rank Game
When two or more hands have a pair, three of a kind, etc., and the highest of those hands also has a pair or three of a kind, the high-rank pair wins. If the highest pair of cards in both hands is a pair, the second-highest pair wins.
Ties in a Low-Rank Game
When two or more hands have a pair, and the highest of those hands also has one or more other cards, the lowest card of those hands breaks ties. If the highest card of those hands is a pair, the second-highest card wins.