Whether you’re playing poker online, at a land-based casino, or at a poker tournament, the aim of the game is to make the best possible hand out of the five cards you’re dealt. If you’re able to do this, you’ll win the pot, which is the sum total of all bets made by all the players in one hand.

To play poker, you’ll need a pack of 52 cards. Each card has a different rank. The highest-ranking card gives the hand its value. You’ll also need an ante. The ante is a small bet that each player must place in the pot before the cards are dealt. In some games, a joker is used in place of a wild card.

The best hand is a straight flush. A straight flush is five cards in sequential order, each one of the same suit. The ace can be high or low.

The best hand is also the highest-ranking poker hand. The ace is the only card shown in profile, but you can also use a joker to make a flush. The other cards are the king, queen, and jack.

The best poker hand might be two pairs of equal rank. In some games, you can also use a wild card to make a five-card hand.

The highest card breaks ties when multiple players have the same rank. If there’s more than one five-of-a-kind hand, the higher-ranking card wins. The ace and king can be linked, making a straight flush.