01 / The deal
Each player receives two private cards. Five shared community cards are dealt in stages. Your goal is to make the best five-card hand using any combination of your cards and the community cards.
02 / The betting rounds
A hand moves through pre-flop, the flop (three community cards), the turn (a fourth card) and the river (a fifth). On your turn you can fold, check if no bet is outstanding, call a bet or raise, subject to the game’s rules.
03 / The showdown
When more than one player remains after the final betting round, the remaining hands are compared. The highest ranked hand wins the pot; equal winning hands split it. A player can also win when every opponent folds.
04 / Know your hand rankings
From strongest to weakest: royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair, one pair and high card. When players share the same type of hand, the card ranks and kickers determine the result.
05 / Find your format
In a tournament, players start with a set number of chips and compete until one remains. Cash games use chips representing the table stakes and allow players to leave between hands. Omaha gives you four private cards; you must use exactly two with exactly three community cards.