General Rules

Below you will find some frequently asked questions regarding general poker rules. These poker rules show you the basics applicable to all games. More detailed poker rules exist for each game, though these basic poker rules will usually remain intact.

How many cards are in a standard poker deck? There are 52 cards in a standard deck, additional cards may be added to function as wild cards.
What is the order of winning hands? Please visit our hand rankings page for complete value and order of natural, winning poker hands.
When there is a tie in a seven-card game, do you go to the value of your 6 th or 7 th card to find a winner? No. This is a common mistake in house games. Unless it was stated prior to the start of the game, poker always uses your best 5-card hand. All ties equal a split pot where each party receives an equal share.
Is there a rank for suits? Not during the game. In a game each suit has equal value. The only time the suits are assigned a value is when you are drawing to see who deals first or for seating position in a tournament. In this case suit values are reverse alphabetical. 1) Spades 2) Hearts 3) Diamonds 4) Clubs
What if two people both have a flush? The winning hand is determined by the highest card. If both parties have the same high card, you revert to the next highest card.
If two players both have two pair, who wins? The player with the highest high pair wins. If both players have the same two pair the winner is determined by whoever has the higher remaining card.
How do you determine the winner with two full houses? When you hold a full house your value starts with the card you have three of. The player with the higher three of a kind wins.
What direction do I deal? To your left.
Is having a poker game at my house legal? In most cases it is perfectly fine to have a friendly poker game at your house, even play for money if you choose. Legal questions arise when you attempt to profit from the game. If you have a home poker game, do not charge a fee or take a rake. Local laws will vary, so check yours before playing.
What is a rake? A rake is the fee you pay for playing in a supervised game. It is a small percentage of each pot that is taken by the house.
What does that term mean? Our definitions page covers popular poker terminology.
If someone is "all in" how much of the pot can they win? A person who is all in can win the amount of the pot that they have invested. If you have $10 and you go all in, everyone must first match your $10. If there are 5 players total that call, you can win $50. Any additional money bet starts a new "side pot" and can only be won by players contributing to that pot.


	General Rules

	Below you will find some frequently asked questions regarding general poker rules. These poker rules show you the basics applicable to all games. More detailed poker rules exist for each game, though these basic poker rules will usually remain intact. How many cards are in a standard poker deck? There are 52 cards in a standard deck, additional cards may be added to function as wild cards. What is the order of winning hands? Please visit our hand rankings page for complete value and order of natural, winning poker hands. When there is a tie in a seven-card game, do you go to the value of your 6 th or 7 th card to find a winner? No. This is a common mistake in house games. Unless it was stated prior to the start of the game, poker always uses your best 5-card hand. All ties equal a split pot where each party receives an equal share. Is there a rank for suits? Not during the game. In a game each suit has equal value. The only time the suits are assigned a value is when you are drawing to see who deals first or for seating position in a tournament. In this case suit values are reverse alphabetical. 1) Spades 2) Hearts 3) Diamonds 4) Clubs What if two people both have a flush? The winning hand is determined by the highest card. If both parties have the same high card, you revert to the next highest card. If two players both have two pair, who wins? The player with the highest high pair wins. If both players have the same two pair the winner is determined by whoever has the higher remaining card. How do you determine the winner with two full houses? When you hold a full house your value starts with the card you have three of. The player with the higher three of a kind wins. What direction do I deal? To your left. Is having a poker game at my house legal? In most cases it is perfectly fine to have a friendly poker game at your house, even play for money if you choose. Legal questions arise when you attempt to profit from the game. If you have a home poker game, do not charge a fee or take a rake. Local laws will vary, so check yours before playing. What is a rake? A rake is the fee you pay for playing in a supervised game. It is a small percentage of each pot that is taken by the house. What does that term mean? Our definitions page covers popular poker terminology. If someone is "all in" how much of the pot can they win? A person who is all in can win the amount of the pot that they have invested. If you have $10 and you go all in, everyone must first match your $10. If there are 5 players total that call, you can win $50. Any additional money bet starts a new "side pot" and can only be won by players contributing to that pot.