When you’re sitting at the poker table, it’s easy to feel intimidated by your opponents and their bluffing and betting. If you find yourself worried about making the wrong play and losing money, take a deep breath and remember these six poker hands that will give you an advantage over other players:
How are poker hands ranked?
In order from worst to best, they are 1. High card. The highest card wins in case of ties. 2. One pair. If there’s more than one pair, then it’s who has the highest value pair 3. Two pairs 4. Three of a kind 5. Straight 6: Flush poker 7: Full house 8: Four of a kind 9: Straight flush 10: Royal flush (10) Other terms which will help you be better at poker include hand odds and probabilities
1. Full House
A full house is when your hand consists of three of one kind and two of another. Example: You have three Aces and two 3s. Your full house is Aces full of threes. It’s not only a winning hand in hold ’em, but in most other forms of poker, as well.
2. Flush
In no-limit hold’em, there is an expectation that your hand must have a pair of cards ranked nine or lower. If it does not, then it is probably a bad idea to call with what could easily be beat by something with even one more high card. One pair is often referred to as ace-king or small pocket pairs and statistically they are one of your worst hands in Hold’em. In no-limit hold’em, there is an expectation that your hand must have a pair of cards ranked nine or lower. If it does not, then it is probably a bad idea to call with what could easily be beat by something with even one more high card.
3. Straight
A straight is exactly what it sounds like, five cards in sequential order, regardless of suit. A hand like 7-8-9-10-J is straight. Straights are good starting hands in video poker because they have so much potential for added value in later rounds. When you have two straights in your hand, pair one and discard one for starters.
4. Three of a Kind
A three of a kind is one of many poker winning hands combinations of five cards in poker. In Texas Hold’em, it has an estimated probability of 3.46%. In video poker, however, it has an estimated probability of 19.3%. While there are several ways to make three-of-a-kinds, one easy way is by drawing to three sequential cards with a loose strategy. Also known as coming or streeting, playing video poker aggressively can lead to big wins, but also significant losses. So before you sit down at your next game, brush up on your knowledge of how these hands rank among other five-card combinations—and don’t forget that help is always available! Many casinos offer free seminars and free play where knowledgeable experts will teach valuable strategies for maximizing winnings while minimizing losses. Be sure to take advantage of them; they’re definitely worth their weight in gold (or cash). The more money you can get out of losing hand—like three-of-a-kind—the better chance you have at getting rich quickly.
5. Two Pair
A pair and another pair; called two pairs for short. A pair of Jacks and a pair of Nines, for example, is called two pairs. This is one of only two possible full house combinations (the other being three of a kind and a pair). Two pairs beat all single-pair combinations; however, it loses to any higher combination that doesn’t contain two pairs, such as three of a kind or four of a kind. For example, if one player has two pairs—Kings and Joes—and another player has Kings up—four of a kind with an Ace kicker—the player with Kings up wins because his hand contains four of a kind. You might hear someone refer to two pairs in terms of ranks: I had nines over eights means I had nine-high suited cards in my hand.
