The Basics of Poker

Almost all poker games involve the use of a standard pack of 52 cards. The pack is usually shuffled by the house dealer, who is responsible for deciding which cards to use. Some games use more than one pack, while others have jokers in their decks.

The cards are dealt clockwise around the poker table. The dealer button is usually a white plastic disk, and indicates the nominal dealer.

The dealer button moves one position clockwise after each hand. The first player to the left of the button posts the small blind and is then seated in the first-to-act position.

A dealer button is typically white, but some games include jokers. The dealer is responsible for shuffle the cards for each hand, and is the last player to take the cards.

Each player is dealt seven cards. The highest-ranking hand is the one that wins the pot. Several players may still be in contention after the final betting round.

The best possible hand is a straight, which consists of five cards in sequence. Several different hands are possible, including a flush, which consists of five cards of the same suit. Neither a flush nor a straight are a full house. A full house consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank.

A high card breaks ties if two or more players have the same card. If two or more players have two four-of-a-kinds with the same rank, the higher card is the winner.