Poker is a game of chance in which the player is trying to make the best bet with the cards that they have. The winner of the pot is the player with the highest hand.

A standard poker hand consists of two distinct pairs (often called “high hands”) and a fifth card. A straight is made up of three separate hands, and a flush is made up of four distinct hands.

The highest poker hand is five of a kind, which beats any straight flush. The other standard hands are a pair, three of a kind, and a full house.

Each betting interval, or round of play, starts when a player makes a bet. Players may choose to call or raise that bet if they have a good hand, but can also fold and lose their chips.

A betting interval ends when a player checks. A check means that the player wishes to remain in the hand but has no bets to make.

If a player does check, they are considered to have no bets, and the next player in that betting interval must either call or fold.

When it is time to discard, players take turns in clockwise order. After the last player in that betting interval has discarded, all players in the betting pool can start drawing their cards. If there are no more cards left to draw, a new round of play begins with a new dealer and a new chip placed in the betting pool.