Poker is a game of probability. In order to calculate probabilities, you need to understand how the game is played.
The object of the game is to win as many hands as possible by betting and raising, and then making the best possible decisions when playing those hands.
The basic principles of poker are as follows:
-Each player starts with 20 cards ( Ace through Ten ).
-Each player must draw four additional cards (two from the deck and two from his or her hand), which makes a total of 26 cards.
-A player can use any combination of these 26 cards to make a hand.
-A hand is composed of five cards: an Ace, Two, Three, Four, and Five .
-The Ace is the highest card in a hand and can be used as the basis for all other values. For example, if you have an Ace in your hand, you can either use it to make a straight (three cards in sequence), flush (five cards in sequence), or full house (two pairs).
-If you have two Aces in your hand, you can make a royal flush – five Aces in sequence.
-If you have three Aces in your hand, you can make a straight – two cards in sequence followed by an Ace.
-If you have any other combination of cards that equals or exceeds ace value (i.e., 2s through 10s ), that combination ranks as one rank higher than ace value. For example, if you have two 2s in your hand, it would rank as a 3 . If you have three 2s in your hand it would rank as a 4 .
-In general, any card that ranks higher than ace cannot be used to complete a straight or flush. However, there are some exceptions to this rule: for example, if you have three 3s in your hand and an Ace, you can make a straight with that Ace – three 3s in sequence followed by an Ace.
-Similarly, if you have three 2s and an Ace in your hand, you can make an open ended straight – two 2s followed by an Ace.
