You may be wondering, why discuss the Poker Hand Rankings? It's
a good question. The reason is quite simple.
Beginners often don't know what will beat what in Texas Hold 'em
and a lot of people who have played for some time, think they
know, but possibly don't really know either.
Here is a quick reference guide for you to print out and use as
a reference, just in case you ever need to check back to verify
what you already know!
We'll start with the lowest possible winning hands and go up
from there.
HIGH CARD ACE For example, A-9-5-3-2 In case of a tie, then the
next highest card would be determined as the winning card.
ONE PAIR Highest pair wins, in the event of a tie then the
highest card wins. Example 9-7-3-3-2
TWO PAIR Two Pair. Example Q-Q-4-4-2
THREE OF A KIND Three cards of the same numerical or face card
rank Example: K-K-K-9-4
STRAIGHT Five cards in sequence. Example: 7-8-9-10-J
FLUSH Five Cards of the same suit. Example: 5-6-7-8-9 all of
Hearts FULL HOUSE Two Cards of one rank and three cards of
another. Example: Q-Q-J-J-J
FOUR OF A KIND Four of the same exact cards. Example 5-5-5-5-2
STRAIGHT FLUSH Five cards in the same suit in numerical order.
Example: 2-3-4-5-6 of Clubs
ROYAL FLUSH The most beautiful poker hand you will find! Same
suit A-K-Q-J-10
Hopefully these few tips will help you the next time you sit
down at a poker table and find that some of the hand rankings
aren't fresh on your mind like you had hoped!
This is handy to keep somewhere close to your computer as a
"cheat sheet" if you are new to the game and still want to have
a little more confidence in your play.
Try using it for a while, and then you can put it away when you
don't need it as a crutch anymore!
Do keep in mind; because each poker game is different, sometimes
it helps to keep a cheat sheet around for hand rankings when you
are playing numerous online games, especially if you have the
tendency to jump in and out of different games.
The most common mistake you find new players making in Texas
Hold'em is the three of a kind and straight , if you don't know
that a straight beats a three of a kind, you'll remember it
after it beats you a few times!
About the author:
David Walker runs
UK poker and
free bets
websites. A free email course: "Seven Days to Better Betting" is
available at both of these websites.
