Suits, Ranks, and Wild Cards: The Fundamentals of Poker
To many, the rules and nuances of poker seem self explanatory. You know the suits — diamonds and clubs and hearts and spades, oh my! Most people know the value and the ranks as well — but, you know, some people are not really clear on all of them.
So let’s begin at the beginning: a pair. Any pair. Two pair: beats one pair, but not as good as three of a kind. A straight, which contains five cards of any suit in a numerical sequence, beats three of a kind. A flush — five cards in the same suit — beats a straight. A full house, consisting of three of a kind as well as a pair, gets it on a flush, and four of a kind does better than a full house. A straight flush — five cards, in order, same suit — beats four of a kind and a royal flush — the ten, jack, queen, king, ace, all in the same suit — takes everything.
And if deuces or treys or jacks or any other card is wild? Baby, the game gets a little wild too.
