Typically, poker is played with a standard 52 card deck of cards. It is played with five cards, called a hand, and one or more wild cards. The aim of the game is to have the best hand possible.
Each hand is dealt five cards, which may be face-up or face-down. The cards are ranked from Ace to Ace low. A joker counts as the fifth card in certain special hands. The highest ranking hand wins the pot. Ties are broken by the highest card outside of four of a kind.
During the first betting interval, each player must bet into the pot. After this, each player shows their hand. This is called the showdown. During the showdown, the player with the best hand wins the pot. When two or more players have the same hand, the high card outside of four of a kind breaks the tie.
A player can bet or raise before showing their hand. If the player raises, other players must also call. If the player does not raise, other players can call or fold. If the player folds, he may not be able to compete anymore.
A player may have a flush, straight, or four of a kind. A straight is the highest hand, followed by a flush. A flush is all cards of the same suit. The five cards of a sequence can be different suits, but not consecutive suits. Typically, a flush is the highest card in the sequence.