POKER HANDS EXPLAINED

What can seem so obvious to the experienced can often leave beginners bewildered and feeling stupid for having to ask. It's also why experienced players sometimes have real trouble teaching their newbie friends the basics at poker. In this series of articles we aim to give you these basics, basic rules, basic hands and basic history of the game of poker. So, by spending just a little time looking through these poker articles you should be able to walk away with at least a rudimentary knowledge of the game, before you take your first steps into putting that knowledge into practice. This article will simply look at the different hands that it is possible to make in poker. From highest in value to lowest, we will give you the names and what they consist as well as the odds of making one, so that you may learn them off by heart.

High Card

Also referred to as a 'no-pair' for obvious reasons, this is the weakest possible hand in a game of poker. It basically consists of an assortment of random cards, all of differing values and suits. The way to compare high cards is to simply compare the highest value card from each hand, this highest value card wins. There are 1,302,540 different possibilities when playing a high card hand. This is why it is the lowest ranked card in the game of poker.

One Pair

One pair is a poker hand higher than a single high card but lower in value than the two pair. This hand will consist of one pair of differing suits and three other cards of any rank or suit. One pairs are compared by the highest ranking pair, if these happen to be the same then the highest value card takes it. There exist 1,098,240 different one pair configurations, the high odds of making a one pair is the reason why it is not a strong hand.

Two Pair

Stronger than a one pair but weaker than three of a kind, two pair is a hand that consists, as the name suggests, of two different pairs, each pair of the same value but with different suits. 6, 6, 3, 3, A is a two pair hand. When two two pair hands are played against each other the value of the highest ranking pair determines the winning hand. There are 123,552 possible combinations of two pair hands.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind is when a hand is comprised of three of the same card in different suits and two extra ones that do not match. For instance 7, 7, 7, each of different suits and 9, 10 of any suit makes three of a kind. As with all other hands in poker a higher valued three of a kind will always beat a lower one, there are 54,912 different three of a kinds that can be played.

Straight

In poker a straight is a hand that consists of five cards, all in sequence but not of the same suit. So, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 featuring any suits would be a straight, where the highest ranking card gives it its name. In other words, the above hand would be a seven-high straight. The straight is a much more common hand than all the ones discussed below and can be made in 10,240 different ways.

Flush

Flushes are stronger than the hands described above, but weaker than those described bellow, there are 5148 different ways to put one together. In a flush you put down five cards, all of the same suit, but not necessarily in order of value. For instance A, 9, 5, 3, 2 would be acceptable. In the case of two competing flushes, the one with the higher ranked cards is the winning hand, with the highest ranking card in the hand designating its name, for a example a king-high of ace-high flush.

Full House

In poker a full house is sometimes also referred to as a full boat. This hand is comprised of three of the same cards in different suits and two more same cards of differing suits. An example of this would be three 5's of different suits and two 7's of differing suits. Again the value of the cards that appear in the hand determine which full house is stronger, first based on the value of the three and then the two. A full house is weaker than both a straight flush and four of a kind below, due to the fact that there are 3744 possible ways to assemble one, but is stronger than a flush.

Four of a Kind

This is also referred to as a quad and consists of four of the same cards and one other one. For instance four 4's, one of each suit and a 7 or any suit would constitute four of a kind. This is the second highest ranked hand in poker but varies in strength depending on the value of the four cards that compose it. In the case of two identical four of a kind hands the fifth one determines which is the stronger hand. So, for instance, if the fifth cards of two identical four of a kind hands are a 10 and a 9 respectively, the one with the 10 as fifth card wins. The rarity of being dealt any hand determines its strength so four of a kind is weaker than a straight flush because there are 624 possible combinations for producing four of a kind compared to 40 for a straight flush.

Straight Flush

The straight flush in poker is when five cards belonging to the same suit are laid down in sequence. In poker usually the card with the highest value is placed first on the left, with the following cards placed next to it in order of diminishing importance. The order of value that cards have in poker, in diminishing value, are as follows: A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. So a flush would consist of five of these cards in sequence, but all of the same suit. The strongest of the flushes is referred to as an ace-high straight or a royal flush and consists of the following cards, all of the same suit: A, K, Q, J, 10. It is possible to make four royal flushes from a deck (one of each suit) and 36 other flushes.