Poker hands contain five cards and the highest hand usually wins the pot (although there are some games where the low hand wins a share of the loot). Some poker games use wild cards and jokers, but right now we will just focus on the basics.

Hand Ranks
Royal Flush
This is a hand where all five cards are in the same suit and the hand runs A-K-Q-J-10. This is the best hand you can get in poker and if you have one then you should bet the house!

Straight Flush
A straight flush is a flush with an ordered pair. For example, if you have a 2-3-4-5-6 all in the same suit this would be a straight flush. This is a very strong hand and the higher your cards the better it is. Cards can not wrap around, however. If you have a K-A-2-3-4 all in the same suit this is just a flush and not a straight flush. Any straight flush is an extremely good hand unless wild cards are involved.
Four of a Kind
Four cards of the same rank constitute a four of a kind. For example, a hand of A-A-A-A-2 would be a four of a kind. This is a strong hand in poker and can only be topped by a straight flush or royal flush. If you have a four of a kind in a game where no wild cards are involved, you can feel very confident that you have a winning hand. In rare cases where two players have four of a kind, the hand with the highest ranked cards will get the pot.

Full House
A full house is comprised of three of a kind and a pair. If two or more players have a full house, the one with the highest three of a kind is the winner. An example of a the strongest full house is: A-A-A-K-K.

Flush
In a flush, all of the five cards in the hand are the same suit. If you have a 2-5-7-10-J which are all diamonds, for example, that would be a flush. It is not entirely uncommon for two players to have a flush at the same time. In cases such as these, the player with the highest card is awarded the pot.

Straight
A straight is comprised of five cards that are in order. The ace can be either high or low in a straight. For example: A-2-3-4-5 is a low straight and 10-J-Q-K-A is a high straight. If two or more players have a straight the highest one is the winner.

Three of a Kind
When a player has a hand with three cards that are the same with two other cards that are unmatched, this is a three of a kind. Example: A-A-A-K-Q. If two players have a three of a kind, the player with the three cards of the highest rank has the top hand.

Two Pair
When a hand has two distinct pairs with another card that is unmatched, this means the player has two pair. In cases where two players have two pair, the player with the highest top pair wins. If both players have the same high pair, then it goes to the rank of the second pair to determine the winner. Example: A-A-K-K-Q.

Pair
This is when a player has one pair and three unmatched cards. Example: A-A-K-Q-J. If two players have a pair, the highest ranked pair wins.

High Card
If no player has any of the hands listed above, then the pot goes down to the highest card on the table. If two players are ties for the highest card, then the pot goes down to the second highest.

Betting Terms
The following are some terms involved with betting in poker. Most poker games involve posting an ante or bind. Then you have to decide what you want to do after that:

Call
When you ‘call’ on a bet, you match what someone else on the table bet before you.

Raise
When you raise a bet, you first call the original bet then you are adding another bet beyond the original call.

Fold
This is when you opt out of your hand. There is no need to bet any more money at this point because you have no liability – and also no chance of winning the pot.