Having the best poker hand is the goal of the game. There are four basic poker hand categories: straight, flush, pair and fours of a kind. Typically, the higher ranking card is the best hand.

A straight is five cards in sequential order. A pair is two cards of equal rank. A fours of a kind is a hand comprised of four cards of the same rank.

A flush is five cards of the same suit in any order. The ace can count either high or low in a straight. A backdoor flush is achieved by hitting the right cards on the turn and river.

There are many variations of the game. Some include a “showdown” where each player’s hand is revealed. If all players call, the game continues to the next round. The player with the best hand wins the pot.

The ante, which is the “buy in” bet, is usually $1 or $5. It is used as a way to limit the bets of each player. If the betting continues to be too large, all players can fold. A “showdown” is a final round where the winning hand is revealed.

The best poker hand is the one that includes the highest ranking card in the hand. The ace, king, queen and jack are considered to be the highest ranking cards. In some variants, the joker is the fifth card. The overcard is the card which is the highest on the board.