The rules of poker

The goal of the game
In poker, the goal is to collect the best combination of cards or to get your opponents to discard cards by convincing them that you have a strong hand. The player who collects the best combination or is the last player left standing after the other players have discarded their cards wins.

Hierarchy of combinations
Poker card combinations, starting with the weakest card: high card, one pair, two pairs, three of a kind, straight (five cards in order), flush (five cards of the same suit), full house (three of a kind + pair), rack (four of a kind), straight flush (five cards in order of the same suit), royal flush (straight flush from ten to ace).

Dealing Cards
At the beginning of each round, players are dealt two closed cards (in Texas Hold'em). These cards are known only to them. Then five common cards are placed on the table, which can be used by all players to make combinations.

Betting Rounds
In Texas Hold'em, the game goes through four betting rounds: pre-flop (before the reveal of the common cards), flop (after the reveal of the three common cards), turn (after the reveal of the fourth card) and river (after the reveal of the fifth card). Players can bet, raise, fold or skip a turn.

Player Options
In each betting round, a player has several options: fold, call, raise, or skip the turn without betting (check) if no one has bet before.

Blinds
Before the start of a Hand, two players place mandatory bets - the Small and Big blinds. This is necessary to create a starting pot. The blinds move round clockwise with each new round.

Showdown
If there is more than one player left after all betting rounds, there is a ‘Showdown’. Players reveal their cards and the player with the strongest combination wins the pot.

Winning without Showdown
A player can win the pot without showing his cards if all other players fold during the betting rounds. In this case, it does not matter what combination the winning player had in hand.

All-In
If a player does not have enough chips to equal the bet, he can go all-in by betting all of his remaining chips. The player then only participates in the draw for the portion of the pot that he has covered with his bets.

Etiquette and fair play
Poker is a game of strategy, so it is important to respect other players and follow the rules of fair play. It is forbidden to prompt, behave aggressively or disrupt the pace of play, or reveal your cards before the end of the showdown.