Poker is a card game with many variations. It is thought to have originated in Persia and was probably influenced by earlier games, such as primero. In fact, the game may even have been brought to the New World by Persian settlers. The English word poker, which comes from the French poque, probably originated from this game.
The game uses a standard deck of 52 cards, though some variations may include jokers or multiple packs. The cards are ranked Ace, King, Queen, and Jack, with the Ace ranked high or low. All poker hands contain five cards, including the kicker (the highest-ranking card remaining in the deck). However, the kicker in a four-of-a-kind hand would be the fifth card in the deck.
The best five-card hand in a game of poker wins the round. This player wins the pot, or the pot money, and splits it with the other players. After several rounds of betting, the players will run out of money. When this happens, the game is over, and a winner is chosen. Whether the hand is higher or lower is not as important as how the player makes their hands.
The best natural hand in poker is the straight flush. A straight flush consists of five cards of the same rank. An ace may be high or low, but cannot wrap around the other three cards in a straight. If a player has an ace high straight flush, they have a Royal Flush.