The Hand Rankings are the most basic element of Texas Holdem poker and is the first thing that you need to learn before starting to play. They are the same as in other common poker games such as Omaha, 7 card stud, and Draw Poker.
There are 52 cards in the pack, and the ranking of the individual cards, from high to low, is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. There is no ranking between the suits - for example the king of hearts and the king of spades are equal.
These are the standard five-card poker hands, ranked in order of strength, from the strongest hand to the weakest.
Royal Flush - the best possible hand
Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit.
Straight Flush
Any five-card sequence in the same suit (e.g.: 8, 9, 10, Jack and Queen of clubs; or 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of diamonds).
Four of a Kind
All four cards of the same value (e.g.: 8, 8, 8, 8; or Queen, Queen, Queen, Queen).
Full House
Three of a kind combined with a pair (e.g.: 10, 10, 10 with 6, 6; or King, King, King with 5, 5).
Flush
Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence (e.g.: 4, 5, 7, 10 and King of spades).
Straight
Five cards in sequence, but not in the same suit (e.g.: 7 of clubs, 8 of clubs, 9 of diamonds, 10 of spades and Jack of hearts).
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same value (e.g.: 3, 3, 3; or Jack, Jack, Jack).
Two Pair
Two separate pairs (e.g.: 2, 2, Queen, Queen).
Pair
Two cards of the same value (e.g.: 7, 7).
High Card
If a hand contains none of the above combinations, it's valued by the highest card in it. |
A common mistake a new poker player may make is to over bluff. The difference between the bluff and the semi bluff is, when bluffing you usually do not have a winning hand. The semi bluff is used when you have a hand that could win depending on the next card drawn. 