Poker is played with a standard 52-card deck. The deck is divided into four suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. While the suits themselves don't have different values, they are crucial for forming certain hands.

Each suit contains thirteen cards, or ranks. In most poker games, the Ace is the highest-ranking card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and finally, the 2 (or deuce) as the lowest.

The goal in poker is simple: win chips. All the chips bet in a single game, or hand, are collected in the center of the table. This collection of chips is called the pot.

There are two ways to win the pot:

1. Have the best hand when all the betting is over. This is called the showdown.
2. Convince all other players to give up on their hands, leaving you as the last one standing.

To play, you need to know the language. The game moves in rounds of betting, and on your turn, you have several options. Before the cards are even dealt, one or two players are typically required to make forced bets to start the pot. These are called the blinds.

Once the betting action gets to you, you have a few choices. Your decision will depend on the strength of your cards and your strategy.

Understanding these basic actions is the first step to playing the game. It's a conversation where you use chips instead of words to tell a story about your hand.

Now you know the building blocks of poker. You have the deck, the goal, and the basic actions to get started.