Poker is a card game that is played on a table. It is a competitive game that requires the players to compete against each other to win the pot. As the hand progresses, the players increase their bets in hopes of winning a bigger pot. Poker has several betting rules, such as pot-limit and fixed-limit betting, which specify the amount of money each player can bet.

During a hand, a player with a pair wins. Pairs are formed when two cards of the same rank can beat one another. Pairs also occur when the three cards that make up the hand do not match each other. A pair is considered to be stronger than a pair of lower cards, but a lower pair is still better than a high pair. For instance, a pair of six-seven-two-three beats a pair of tens.

The highest possible hand in a standard pack is a straight flush, which is five cards of the same suit in sequence. It is also known as a royal straight flush, and the odds of achieving one are nearly 650,000 to one. The next best hand is four of a kind, which can be any four cards in a row.

When playing poker, a high-card hand can be very advantageous in winning a pot. The high card breaks ties when no one has a pair.