Poker Fundamentals
Poker is a family of card games in which players wager chips based on the strength of their hand, competing to win the pot. It blends skill and chance: cards are dealt randomly, but betting and decision-making influence long-term results. These poker fundamentals cover how the game is played, from the deck to the flow of a hand, they are the foundations that the game of poker are built on.
What Is Poker?
Poker is a popular type of card game in which players bet chips, aiming to win the pot (the total of all chips wagered). Each player is dealt cards, usually from a standard 52-card deck, and use them to form a hand according to the rules of the game. A player can win the pot by having the best hand at showdown or by making all other players fold. Poker involves both skill and chance: players make decisions that can affect the outcome of a hand, while the cards dealt are determined by chance.
The Objective of Poker
The objective of poker is to win the pot, and there are two ways to do it. A player wins at showdown by holding the best-ranked hand once all betting is complete, or wins before showdown when every other player folds. As a hand can be won without the best cards, betting and decision-making matter as much as the cards themselves.
How a Hand of Poker Works
A hand of poker moves through a set sequence: blinds are posted, cards are dealt, players act throughout betting rounds, and the hand ends at showdown or when only one player remains. The dealer button marks who is the nominal dealer, and forced bets called blinds seed the pot before the deal. Players receive their cards and then act in turn. Depending on the action before them, they can check, bet, call, raise or fold. Chips wagered accumulate in the pot, and if two or more players remain after the final round, then cards are revealed at showdown, where the best hand wins. For more details about poker actions and betting rounds, see the poker rules page.
Poker Hands and Rankings
Poker hands are ranked by how rare they are, so a harder-to-make hand such as a flush beats a more common one such as a pair. Knowing which hand beats which at showdown is important. For the complete ranking from royal flush down to high card, see the poker hand rankings guide.
The Poker Table and Seats
A poker table is where players are seated and on which the cards are dealt and chips are wagered. The middle of the table holds the pot and, in community-card games, is where the shared board is displayed. Poker tables can accommodate different numbers of players depending on the variant and format, with six, eight and nine-handed tables common in online poker. Some fast-paced tournament formats like Spin & Go have only three players around the table.
The Deck and the Cards
Most poker variants use a 52-card deck of four suits – hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades – each running from two up to ace. Spades and clubs are traditionally black, while diamonds and hearts are red. In online poker, a four-color deck may also be available, with diamonds shown in blue and clubs in green. No suit outranks another in poker, the winner between two hands of equal rank is determined by card value rather than suit. Short deck poker, like 6+ Hold'em, uses a deck of 36 cards with all cards lower than a six removed. With the cards dealt to them, and using community cards if applicable, players form their best five-card hand, the possible hands are set out in the poker hand rankings guide.
Poker Chips and Denominations
Poker chips are counters that represent value at the table. Different denominations are shown by color, and the chips in front of a player are called their stack. In live poker, players must handle physical chips, including selecting the correct denominations to make bets. In online poker, those processes are automated, so chips are automatically displayed correctly, and the player only needs to choose the amount of chips that are committed.
Position
Position refers to where a player sits relative to the dealer button, which sets the order in which players act during a hand. The two seats to the button's left post the small blind and the big blind, and players act in turn clockwise from there. Position shapes decision-making throughout a hand, how a player should play their hand differs depending on where they are seated.
Getting Started With Poker
New players who want an introduction to poker can follow the how to play poker guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Poker is a category of card games in which players aim to win the pot by holding the best hand or by making every other player fold. It usually uses a standard 52-card deck and combines skill with an element of chance.
A hand of poker is won in one of two ways: by having the best-ranked hand at showdown once all betting is complete, or by being the last player remaining after everyone else folds. The winner of the hand takes the pot.
The number of players around a poker table depends on the game. A two-player game is called heads-up, while six, eight and nine-handed tables are also common online. Multi-table tournaments are played across multiple tables, with players competing against both those at their own table and those at other tables in the same tournament.