In almost all forms of poker, players use chips to play the game. In games with seven or more players, the dealer provides chips to each player. Poker has four different types of chips: a white chip, a red chip, and a blue chip. Each chip has a value, ranging from one to five. Players “buy in” by purchasing chips that are worth the same amount as the pot they are playing. The amount of money the player spends on a chip will determine the final value of the hand.

There are three basic poker structures: no-limit, fixed-limit, and pot-limit. Fixed-limit poker requires standardised bets; an initial bettor may only bet X and a player who raises must raise by X as well. Pot-limit poker allows players to bet any amount up to the total size of the pot. Each bet is added together and a raiser may raise by the amount of the pot if they want to stay in the game.

In no-pair, the highest card in a hand is higher than the lowest card. A pair, or pair plus an ace, is a winning hand in poker. A pair is a set of five cards of the same rank. A full house, on the other hand, is the same rank as a flush. Likewise, a straight is five cards in the same suit, a pair means two cards of the same rank and a straight is 5 cards of the same suit.