Standard poker uses a fifty-two card deck of playing cards. The cards rank from highest to lowest as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. There are many variations of poker, with some games using more or less cards, adding the Joker card into the mix, or ranking a card such as the Ace as the lowest card, rather than the highest. For standard poker, however, the fifty-two card deck with Aces being the highest ranked card is the norm.

Like most card games, there are four suits of cards within the deck. These suits are spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, with no suit ranking higher than any other. The poker hand consists of five cards, and the player with the highest hand wins. This standard game of poker is usually referred to as 5 Card Draw. There are other variations of poker, such as 7 Card Stud and 3 Card Poker, where the player would be dealt seven or three cards, respectively, instead of five. Other variations of poker, such as the popular Deuces Wild game, or Joker's Wild, use the 2 or Joker cards, respectively, as "wild" cards, meaning that these cards can take on any suit or value in the dealt hand, turning what could have been a losing hand into a winner.

The Game Begins -

As the game begins, an "ante" is started. Bets are placed in the center of the table, into what is referred to as the "pot" and cards are dealt to the players. Betting then proceeds in a clockwise direction from the dealer, and it is then up to the players to decide how they will play their hand. At this stage, the player has the choice to Call, Raise, or Fold. To "Call" means you must match what has been bet by other players since the last time you had to place a bet. If you choose to "Raise" this means that you must first match what has been bet by other players, then you choose to add an additional sum to the pot, the limit of which is determined by the set limit of the game. If you decide to "Fold", instead, this means that you have decided to drop out of the hand being played, and will forfeit your chances to win the money in the pot, including any money you have placed into the pot thus far. Folding is usually done when a player determines that they have a losing hand they can't recover from. Rather than lose any more money on the cards they have been dealt, they choose to fold.

Before deciding to call, raise, or fold, however, it is important to understand the cards you hold. By understanding which hands are better than others, you increase your chances of winning by being able to pick and choose which cards to hold and which cards to discard whle playing. Here are the most common hands to become familiar with. Once you learn these, you'll be on your way to being able to sit down with the pros!

Royal Flush
This is the best possible hand for a player to have in a standard poker game. It consists of the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10. All must be of the same suit.

Straight Flush
A straight flush consists of five cards in order, that are all of the same suit, such as the 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of diamonds. As in a normal straight (see below), aces can either be played as a high card or a low card, to round out a high hand (sucha as Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10) or a low hand (such as Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5).

Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank. If two or more players hold a four of a kind hand, then the hand with the higher ranked four of a kind cards wins.

Full House
A full house consists of three cards of the same kind, plus a pair of cards of the same kind. If another player also holds a full house, then the tie is broken by determining who has the highest three of a kind set. For example, Q,Q,Q,7,7 would beat J,J,J,A,A. If the tie cannot be broken by determing who has the highest three of a kind set, then the tie is broken by going to the two card pair, which would only happen if playing in a game with wild cards.

Flush
A flush is a hand where all of the cards are the same suit. If a flush ties with another player, the rules for High Card should be followed.

Straight
Five cards in rank order, but not of the same suit. The Ace can act as either a high card or a low card. If two straights tie, then the highest straight wins. If two straights have the same value, the pot is split.

Three of a Kind
Three cards of any rank with the remaining cards not being a pair. In case of a tie, the highest ranking three of a kind hand wins. In a wild card game, if both tied hands are of the same rank, then the High Card rule should be followed.

Two Pair
Two like pairs of cards and one other card. The highest ranking pair wins in the event of a tie. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins. If both hands have the same pairs, the high card wins.

Pair
One like pair with three other cards. In the event of a tie, the highest ranking pair wins. High card rules should be applied to break ties.

High Card
When a hand cannot be matched to any of the examples above, then the winner is determined by who is holding the highest ranking card. If there is a tie for the high card then the next high card determines who wins the pot. If that card is tied as well, then the next card is gone to (down to the last card if necessary) to determine a winner.