A game of poker involves chance and strategy. When bets are introduced, skill becomes much more important. In addition to basic probability and psychology, players must be able to read the tells of other players, which are non-verbal cues. This skill is called body language and can be extremely important.

A poker hand has to be made up of cards of the same rank and the same suit. The highest card wins the hand. Ties are broken by looking at the next highest cards and so on. The high card also breaks ties in cases when two hands are the same (pair, three of a kind, straight, etc).

There is a round of betting after each player receives their 2 hole cards. This is usually started by the two players to the left of the dealer placing forced bets (called blind bets) into the pot. Then 3 more community cards are dealt face up, this is called the flop and there is another round of betting.

The highest hand is the Royal Flush which contains 5 consecutive cards of the same suit, including an ace. The next highest is the Straight Flush which is 5 cards in a sequence but not necessarily in order of rank. The third highest is the Three of a Kind which has 3 matching cards of one rank and 2 other unmatched cards. The lowest hand is the Pair which has two distinct cards of the same rank.