- Basics of Classic Poker
- Starting Hands in Poker
- Best Starting Hands
- How to Choose Starting Hands
- 10 Combinations in Poker
- Royal flush
- Straight flush
- Four of a Kind or Quads
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a kind
- Two pairs
- Pair
- High card
- Frequently Asked Questions about Poker Hands
- What hands are the strongest in poker?
- What hands are considered best?
- How is the winner determined in the case of identical combinations?
- What is called a Dead Man’s Hand in poker?
What is it about? Hands in poker are combinations of cards that can lead to a win. There are many of them, starting from the weakest high cards and up to the strongest, which is Royal Flush. Knowing the combinations is critical for successful play. A strong hand increases your chances of winning, but its value also depends on your opponents’ actions and the stage of the game.
What to consider? It is important to work with your hand and be able to predict possible combinations of your opponents. This will help you make informed decisions: whether to raise the bet or fold.
Basics of Classic Poker
The most popular variant of poker is Texas Hold’em. And all the information in this article applies to this type of poker specifically.
A poker deck consists of 52 cards with denominations from Deuce to Ace (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A). In any game or series of games a new deck is always used. If any card gets damaged, a new deck will be unpacked.
In Texas Hold’em, each player starts with two hole cards face down. There are five common cards on the table. You can win the pot by forcing everyone else to fold or by making the strongest hand from your two hole and five common cards. It does not matter how many of you hole cards are in the combination, two, one or none.
Starting Hands in Poker
Starting hands in poker are the two cards that each player receives during the dealing phase. It is important to choose correctly which ones to play, since the financial success of the game largely depends on this.
The importance of starting hands in Texas poker is due to a number of reasons. First, starting hands is all that you have before the flop. Strong starting hands give the player an advantage over opponents and vice versa. Starting hand largely determines the style of a player. It can be aggressive, passive or flexible.
Knowing which starting hands are the strongest in poker and which are weaker allows you to play in a balanced manner. There are charts of starting hands used to help people at the table know when to fold and when to be aggressive.
This approach reduces the risk of losses to a minimum and increases the likelihood of winning in the long term.
Best Starting Hands
In poker, there is a concept of premium or best starting hands. These are the hands that basically win the most. According to statistics and the experience of professionals, the best starting hands in Texas Hold’em are:
- AA (pocket aces) is the strongest starting hand in poker.
- KK (pocket kings) is a powerful combination, second only to aces.
- QQ (pocket queens) is the third strongest starting hand, which can lead to a lot of success.
- AKs (suited ace-king) is a hand with huge potential for making strong pairs, straights and flushes (also known as Big Slick).
- JJ (pocket jacks) is a fairly strong starting hand, but inferior to higher pairs.
Those best hands are often the basis for a winning game on any stage (flop, turn and river). At the same time, a successful strategy requires knowledge of poker psychology and the ability to read opponents. It is also important to control emotions and understand the specifics of the situation at the table.
How to Choose Starting Hands
Let’s go over some aspects to choose the starting hands we want to play. Professionals take a lot of details into account and always make informed decisions.
The main aspects of choosing starting hands:
- The position at the table. This determines the decisions of the poker player. The player’s actions in early, middle or late positions will be different. For example, in the first position he is vulnerable: there is no information about following players’ actions. Therefore, position has a lot to say in picking starting hands.
- Observe your opponents and their playing style. Are they aggressive or more cautious? If the villain is aggressive, you need a tighter range. If he’s passive, you can play wider.
- Villain’s bet sizing strategy also affects the choice of starting hands. Bigger bets usually represent stronger hands and smaller bets usually represent weaker ones. Poker players consider this when making decisions at the table.
10 Combinations in Poker
Let’s go over all the possible combinations in poker from strongest to weakest. This is the very basis of the game, which every player should know as his left hand. There are 10 combinations overall. Each consists of 5 cards. If players have the same combinations, card rank is what determines the winner. There is no priority for one or another suit.
Royal flush
This is the best hand in poker, a variation of straight flush. It consists of 5 broadway cards of the same suit, ending with an ace. If two players have this combination, they split the winnings 50/50.
Straight flush
Similar to royal flush, this combination includes a straight and a flush. It consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. An example of a straight flush: from 6 to 10 of the same suit.
If two poker players have it, the one with the higher card wins the pot. If they are the same in rank, the winnings are split 50/50.
Four of a Kind or Quads
A combination of four cards of the same rank. For example, 4 queens or 4 jacks. If two players have a four of a kind, the one with the higher card wins. If the opponents have a four of a kind of the same rank, the one with the higher fifth card (kicker) wins the pot.
Full House
This is a combination of three cards of the same rank and a pair (two cards of the same rank). For example, 3 kings and 2 tens or 3 fours and 2 aces. If two poker players have a full house, the one with the higher trips wins. In the example given, the higher combination is 3 kings and 2 tens.
Flush
This is a combination of five cards of the same suit. If two or more poker players have a flush, the one with the higher card wins. There is a chance that the highest cards of two poker players may coincide. In this case, the next two are compared until one is higher than the opponent’s.
Straight
This is a combination of five cards of different suits, following each other in order. Example: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. If two or more poker players have a straight, the one with the highest card wins. If they have the same value, the winnings are split 50/50.
The suit does not matter in the ranking. Only an ace can be both the highest (ace, king, queen, jack, ten) and the lowest card in a combination of this type (5, 4, 3, 2, ace).
Three of a kind
This is a combination of three cards of the same rank. For example, 3 queens. If two or more poker players have threes, the one with the highest trips wins. If two players have trips of the same value, the one with the highest fourth card wins.
Two pairs
Two cards of one rank and two of another. For example, two 10s and two 8s. If two poker players have 2 pairs, the one with the higher pair wins. If the players have the same top pairs, the rank of the second pair is compared. If they are also the same, the pot goes to the one with the higher fifth card (kicker).
Pair
These are hands in poker consisting of two cards of the same rank (2 queens or 2 kings) and 3 unrelated cards. If several players have pairs, the winner is the one with the higher pair. If both poker players have pairs of the same rank, the winner is determined by the seniority of the third highest card (kicker).
High card
This is not exactly a combination. It happens when no one has a made hand (one of those listed above) and if two players only have high cards, the pot goes to the one who’s high card is stronger. If the cards are of the same value, the second highest cards are compared, and then it repeats until someone’s card is higher. Remember that the highest is an ace, the lowest is a 2.
Frequently Asked Questions about Poker Hands
What hands are the strongest in poker?
The top 5% of hands are pairs from 99 to Aces, all Ace-King combos, suited Ace-Queen, Ace-Jack, and King-Queen. With any of the pairs, you usually would want to have an overpair on the flop.
What hands are considered best?
The lowest possible straight or wheel. It consists of four cards of the lowest rank and an Ace. An example of a combination: A♦ 2♥ 3♠ 4♦ 5♦. In the Poker variation with Joker, the strongest hand is Five of a Kind — quads and a joker. Example: 4♥ 4♦ 4♣ 4♠ 2♣, if 2♣ is a joker.
How is the winner determined in the case of identical combinations?
In this case, the winner is the one with the stronger highest card. Let’s look at some examples:
- 3J is higher than 9T.
- 44 is higher than 22.
- 99JJ is higher than 77TT, but lower than 77QQ. If the opponents have the same two pairs, then the one with the higher kicker wins. For example, 3355J is higher than 33559.
- JJJ is higher than 999. When sets are of equal value, the kicker again comes into play.
- 23456 is higher than A2345.
- If the players have the same flush, the winner is the one with the higher card in the combination.
- JJJAA is higher than JJJKK if the first player has JA, the second has JK, and the common cards are JJ7KA.
- 8888Q is higher than 5555A.
In Hold’em, there cannot be the same straight flush and royal flush. In other variations of poker, a winner when two have the same straight flushes is determined by analogy with a straight. If two players have royal flushes, the pot is split 50/50.
What is called a Dead Man’s Hand in poker?
The Dead Man’s Hand combination consists of two aces and two eighths of dark suits. There is a legend that this combination of cards was in the hands of Wild Bill (Billy Hickok) when he was shot in 1876. That is why in Westerns the combination foretells the imminent death of the hero.
As an example, we can cite the famous films “Stagecoach” and “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” by John Ford, “Winchester ’73” by Anthony Mann, “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs” by Ethan and Joel Coen.
Knowledge of hands and combinations in poker is necessary for every player who wants to reach the heights. The probability of winning is higher if the poker player knows the strength of different combinations and can read the hands of opponents. It is recommended not only to learn all the combinations. It is important to stick to the chosen strategy and use psychological skills.
It is important for a poker player to be patient, have analytical skills and be able to make optimal decisions based on the available information. Knowledge of hands and practical skills distinguish a professional from a beginner.