The origins of the game of poker are a bit murky, however. Perhaps the word was used by pickpockets and card hustlers who would cheat unsuspecting opponents. In any case, the word “poker” comes from French, and was later modified to include the “r” to make it more ambiguous. Regardless, poker is a simple game that involves some element of cheating and is played for money.

A player’s hand is revealed after the final betting round, called the “showdown”. The hand that reaches the showdown must have no callers in the last round of betting, or someone had already bet all their chips before the last round. A side pot is a separate portion of the pot, made up of additional money bet by players after the main pot has been decided. This side pot may contain many players. A player can only win a pot if he has an advantage in the range of cards he has in his hand.

A straight flush is a five-card hand with the same suit and rank. A straight flush is the best natural hand. The highest card in the hand, regardless of suit, beats any other hand. If the ace is a high card, it will be a high card. Otherwise, it’s a low card. However, a straight flush can’t wrap around an ace. This is because the ace can be either high or low.