Poker is normally played for money, but it is convenient to use chips to represent money during the actual games. For the purposes of comparing hands all suits are equal.
In certain circumstances the ace can be used as a low card, below the 2. The rank of the cards, from high to low, is A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The deal and play are clockwise.Ī standard international 52-card pack is used, and in most forms of poker there are no jokers. However, some variants can be played by more than seven, and some versions work well for a small number of players - even with just two ('heads up'). Traditionally, poker has been thought of as a game for 2 to 7 players, the more the better with 6 or 7 being the ideal number. For those who need greater detail on particular aspects of the rules there are more detailed pages on hand ranking, the betting process, and on the specifics of particular types of poker such as Seven Card Stud, Texas Hold'em, Omaha and Draw Poker, which are listed on the Poker Variants page.
This aim of this page is to give a general idea of how poker is played. Other Web Sites Poker Rules and Glossaries.