The winning hand is determined by seeing which hand has the strongest combination of cards, using any combination of "pocket" cards and "community" cards. The combinations are listed here from strongest to weakest hand. Each combination is illustrated by an example, where the following abbreviations are used: C - Clubs, D - Diamonds, H - Hearts, S - Spades; J - Jack, Q - Queen, K - King, A - Ace.

	Royal Flush Straight flush from 10 to the ace. Example: 10S, JS, QS, KS, AS
	Straight Flush Straight with all five cards of the same suit. Example: 7D, 8D, 9D, 10D, JD
	Four of a Kind Four cards of the same value. Suit is irrelevant. Example: JC, JD, JH, JS
	Full House Three cards of one value together with two cards of another value. When more than one full house is competing, the one with the highest ranking group of three wins. Example: QH, QS, KD, KC, KH
	Flush Five cards of the same suit. When more than one flush is competing, the one with the highest card wins. Example: AS, 5S, 7S, 9S, JS
	Straight Five cards in sequence. When more than one straight is competing, the one with the highest card wins. An ace can be taken as either high or low (but not both high and low in the same hand). Example: 8, 9, 10, J, Q; suit is irrelevant.
	Three of a Kind Three cards of the same value. Example: KH, KD, KC
	Two Pair Any two cards of one value together with two cards of another value. When more than one hand has two pairs of the same rank, the hand with the highest card outside the paired cards wins. Example: JC, JH, QS, QD
	One Pair Two cards of the same value. In case two hands have pairs, the highest pair wins. When more than one hand has a pair of the same rank, the hand with the highest card outside the pair wins. Example: 10C, 10S
	Highest Card When players have none of the above, the hand with the highest card wins.

Betting system

The player left of the big blind starts the betting round, betting order goes around the table clockwise. Everyone is betting according to what they think their hand will lead to.

Fold

If you don't like your cards, you can fold. If you have posted a blind, made a bet or raised a bet, you will lose that money. But you will not lose any more. After folding, you are out of the game until the next game round.

Check/Call

You can stay in the game by checking or calling. If no bet has been made before you, you can check without placing any money in the pot. If a bet has been made, you can call by placing the same amount in the pot.

Bet/Raise/Re-raise

If you think you hand is good enough, you can make a bet. If another player has already made a bet, you can raise it.

Bet amounts are fixed by the table stakes. For example, in a $5/$10 table, bets are $5 in the first two rounds and $10 in the last two. There can be one bet and three raises in each round (bet, raise, re-raise, re-raise). After three raises the betting round is capped and the next card is dealt (or, if it is the final betting round, the best hand is determined).

All-in

When a player runs out of chips during the course of a hand, he/she does not have to fold. Instead the player can choose to be All-in. When you are all-in, you call all your chips and the pot is divided into the main pot and side pot. All subsequent chips are hereafter added to the side pot.

At the showdown if the "All-in" player does not have a winning hand, both the side pot and the main pot go to the winning hand, as usual.

At the showdown if the "All-in" player has a winning hand, the main pot goes to the "All-in" player, and the side pot goes to the next best hand.

When several players go All-in, multiple side pots are created. The pots are divided according to hand and order in which the players went All-in. If a player not all in at the showdown has the winning hand he wins all side pots and the main pot. If an all in player has the strongest hand he/she wins the pot or pots that were collected until he/she went All-in. Any all in player with a winning hand can only win the pot or pots they are involved in.

A Betting round continues until all players have folded or called the third raise, or until a bet has been called by all players (except the one who placed the bet) with no raise taking place.