All the poker hands, running from best in the top left to a single pair in the bottom right

First off, you need to know the hands, so when you have a good one you know if you're likely to win the pot.  I'll run down them here for you, from worst to best!

It goes High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of Kind, Straight Flush.

High Card: This is where you have nada, nothing, zip...and you're hoping one of your cards is higher than your opponents.  These hands can be won, but thats down to bluffing usually, or knowing you opponent is bluffing and has worse cards than you.  But more on tactics later.  All you need to know is if you don't have anything, then you're playing a high card.  Ace is always high in Texas Hold 'em, so an Ace high is the best high card hand you can have.

Pair: When you have a pair, that means you have two numbers (not suits) that are the same e.g. a 7 and a 7.  Or two Kings. etc.

You can make a pair either by being dealt it from the start, or by matching one of your hole cards to a community one.  Again, more on this in the rules section.

Two Pair: Yep, this is where you have two pairs i.e. 7-7 and King King.

Three of a Kind: No prizes for guessing...this is where you have three of the same numbered cards i.e. 9-9-9 or Jack-Jack-Jack.  Suites can be different.

Straight: This is where you have a 'run' of 5 consequetive numbers, for example 2-3-4-5-6- or 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace.  At least one of the cards will have a suit that is different to the rest.  You can't have King-Ace-2-3-4, or any combination that links Ace and Two.

Flush:  This is better than a straight (a lot of begginers forget this).  It is where all the suits in a hand are the same.  Thats 5 cards, all the same suits.  So every card that makes up your hand is a heart, or every card is a diamond (or a spade or a club).  The numbers don't matter too much, although if you have a flush and someone else does, then the person with the highest card in their hand will win.

Full House: This is where you combine three of a kind and a pair, so that you will have, for example: 3-3-3-8-8.

Four of a Kind: e.g. 4-4-4-4 or Q-Q-Q-Q. 

Straight Flush: As rare as a studious, rich and non-alchohol drinking student, I've actually never seen one in open play!  However, so you can recognise one if it turns up, it's where you have a straight, and they're all of the same suit.  e.g. 4-5-6-7-8 all of clubs.  The rarest of the rare is the Royal Flush, which is 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace all the same suit.

Feel like your ready to play?  Great, get going!

And here's how you play...

1. You get dealt two cards each, face down.  Don't show anyone them (impossible online anyway!).  An initial 'bet' is placed, which must equal 'the big blind'.

The 'big blind' is an agreed minimum stake, that at least one player (whoever is big blind) must put down and others meet if they wish to take part in that hand.

2. Once everyone who wants to play has met the big blind, 'the flop' is dealt, which is three 'community cards' into the centre of the table. 

Community cards can be 'used' by anyone who is still playing in that hand.  It doesn't mean you have to physically grab them (again, you can't online anyway) but you mentally use them to match up advantageous community cards with the two cards that were originally dealt to you (your hole cards).

You then bet again if you want to, either matching the bets of others or raising. 

3. When this is settled and everyone is in who wants to be, a forth 'turn' card is dealt again in the middle as a community card.  Another round of betting takes place, and then a final fifth 'river' card is dealt into the community cards. 

4. In total there are now five community cards, and you hold two privately.  Thats seven, and from this total of seven, you can use any combination to create the strongest possible hands (see above to recap on those). 

The final round of betting now takes place, and whoever has the stongest hand wins all the money put in the 'pot'. 

At it's most basic, this is all you need to know about poker!  However, I've used a few terms that might not be familiar, and it's handy to know a little bit more, so why not click here to get a summary of the main poker terms you'll come across.