Understanding Poker “Hands”

Learning the different hands of poker is one of the hardest thing for any new poker player to learn.  Memorizing the basic hands allows players to become quickly accustomed to any particular variety of poker, once they learn the specific rules that apply to that variety.  Overall, poker is a pretty simple game, and once you learn what the basic hands are you are well on your way to winning more often. By learning the hands, you are using your knowledge to your advantage while increasing the chance of being successful.

A poker hand can refer to any of the following:

• The cards a player holds in his or her hand.
• Five cards which have a particular value assigned to them, that are held in a players hand.
• A combination of five cards which are assigned a certain value, like a flush which is five cards of the same suit.
• A round of play that consists of a deal, betting and maybe even a showdown.

It may seem that you will never learn all of the terms associated with a hand of poker, but once you begin to play the game you will understand the meaning quickly.  It is easier to learn poker by watching and playing that by simply reading about it, and once you begin playing you are sure to understand why that is true.

The good news is that there is a standard set of rules that will always apply to poker hands, no matter which variety you are playing.  Here are some of those basic rules:

Individual cards are ranked to evaluate hands that have to pairs or other special combinations.  Cards are assigned a rank in order from A (high) King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (low).  In ace-to-five and ace-to-six lowball games, Ace is the lowest ranked card.

Suits are not assigned a specific value in any variety of poker.  Suits are simply utilized in order to determine whether or not a hand fits the necessary combination for a winning hand, like a flush or a straight flush.  Generally, if two players have the same ranking hand in different suits, the pot will be split and the hand considered a tie.  If you are using a high card to randomly select the dealer, you might use suit to determine the high card suit.

The ranking in poker is done in this way; first the hands are ranked by their category and then the individual cards are tanked.  Because of this, even the lowest qualifying hand in a particular category still ranks higher than a high hand in a lower category. So, the lowest rank two pair hand defeats all hands with one or no pairs. When there are only two hands, in the same category, the card rank will be used in order to determine the winner of the tie.

Poker hands always contain five cards.  When more than five cards are dealt to the players at the beginning of a hand, there are still only five cards used to rank hands according to the poker game’s rules and to compare the hand of one player with those of the other players in the game in order to determine who the winner is for the round.

The rank of cards is never determined by the dealing order of the cards.

It is imperative that you memorize the information in this list about the ranking of poker hands before you consider joining in a table poker game and especially any type of tournament. Once you have successfully memorized the list, and how they rank in comparison you will be prepared for friendly poker with your friends. You will still need a bit more practice before you are ready to hit the casinos.

Here is the commonly accepted ranking of hands, as it applies to most varieties of poker:

Royal flush. 
A royal flish is five cards in a sequence of the same suit, starting from the Ace down to the ten. 

Straight flush.
Any five cards in sequence and of the same suit.

Full house.
A full house is a hand with three cards of one rank and two of another.

Flush.
A flush is five cards of the same suit.

Straight.
A straight is five cards in sequence

Three of a kind. 
A three of a kind is three cards of the same rank.

Two pair. 
A two pair is two cards of one rank and two of another.

One pair. 
A hand with one pair includes two cards of the same rank.

No pair.
Also known as a high card hand.
 
Knowing the hands and where they rank is what poker is all about.  Once you have this information down in your mind you’ll easily be able to work on the bluffing aspect, and playing different variants of poker.  As long as you know the rank of the hand you are holding, you’ll be able to play the best game possible.  When players don’t go into the game of poker with a strong understanding of which hands out rank which, that is when they end up in trouble, especially when they are playing for money!

The best way to learn the hands of poker is to play with friends or family who are experienced.  At first it might seem complicated and even a bit frustrating, but the more you play the easier it will be to see the hands forming before you even have all the cards together.  Poker is truly a game that needs to be played again and again to be good, and to be able to strategize for the best results.  While poker is said to be a game of chance, it’s also about knowing what to do with the cards you’ve been dealt.  Because there is no way to know what you’ll be dealt, or what the other players at the table will have in hand, you need to be able to think of every possible hand, and then create the highest ranking hand possible with what you’ve got.  This takes practice, and it won’t just come to you over night.  So, when you are trying to learn the hands, get a computer game, or get together with friends and family and practice visualizing what hands you can put together to win the whole pot!  Practice, practice, practice and soon you’ll be doing it without really thinking too hard!