Poker Hands

More basic information for beginners can be found on the How to Play Poker page. Also see Starting Hands, Poker Hand Nicknames and Texas Hold’em Basics.

Home poker games can have any rules they want, but casino rules and poker hand rankings are consistent. Poker games are normally played with a fifty-two card deck. A joker is sometimes used when playing Draw games. A joker is not used when playing “flop games” like Texas Holdem, nor is it used in Stud-style games. (See Texas Holdem Rules and Stud Poker Rules.)

Cards are ranked with the Ace the highest card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, Eight and so on down to the Two, known as a Deuce. In most games, an Ace can also play below a Deuce for straights (see below) or as the lowest card in Lowball style games.

All poker hands, even if you are playing a game like Seven Card Stud, consist only of the best five cards available. Sixth cards are never used to break ties. Suits are not used to break ties (spades are not better than clubs). After all betting rounds are complete all players remaining in the hand show their cards (or discard them if they see a better hand has them beat). The poker hand rankings are, in order.

Play Poker Stars

1. If a joker or wild cards are used, Five of a Kind is the best hand, with five aces (the four natural Aces plus the joker) the best possible hand.

Poker Hands2. If there is no joker in play, the best possible hand is a Straight Flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit. (“Suits” are spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds.) The highest possible straight flush is a Royal Flush. A Royal Flush includes the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit.

3. Four of a Kind. Four cards of the same rank, for example four kings, plus any fifth card. As always, higher ranks are better — four tens would beat four sixes.

4. Full House. Three cards of the same rank, with a pair of another rank. For example, KKK33. The higher ranking three cards determines which full house beats another — 77766 beats 222AA.

5. Flush. Five cards of the same suit. For example, the Ace, Queen, Nine, Seven and Three of clubs. When comparing flushes, they are ranked from the top card on down. A9732 defeats KQJ85, while a QJ987 flush defeats a QJ983 one. If two flushes have exactly the same cards, like AJ976 of spades versus AJ976 of hearts, this is a tie and a pot would be split.

6. Straight. Five sequential cards of different suits. For example, 98765. When two straights are shown, the highest card determines the winner — KQJT9 defeats 87654. An Ace can be used to make either a “Broadway” straight of AKQJT or a “wheel” straight of 5432A. “Around the corner” straights like 32AKQ are not allowed.

7. Three of a Kind. Three cards of the same rank, like 888 with two unpaired cards. As always, a higher ranked three of a kind defeats a lower ranked three of a kind — 99932 beats 666AK. In flop games it is possible for both players to have the same three of a kind, in which case the two unrelated “kicker” cards would determine the winner — QQQ92 would defeat QQQ87. If the two hands are identical, the pot is split.

8. Two Pair. Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and a kicker of a third rank. For example JJ882. KK332 defeats QQJJ9. 99554 defeats 9933A. 7766A defeats 7766Q. Two hands of the same ranks, like KKQQ5 versus KKQQ5 split the pot.

9. One Pair. Two cards of the same rank, and three unrelated cards. For example, JJK73. A higher pair defeats a lower pair. When players have the same pair, the unrelated “kicker” cards are valued in order, so 99Q32 defeats 99765.

10. No Pair, High Card. Poker hands with no pair or any of the other ranking values listed above. When comparing no pair hands, the highest card determines the winner, using each card in order if necessary, so AKQ94 defeats AKQ85.

Low Hand Rankings (Lowball Poker Rules)
Two principal ways are used to determine rank of low poker hands. The more common way is for an Ace to play low, and for straights and flushes to be ignored. Thus the lowest possible hand is a 5432A. The second low poker hand ranking method is “Kansas City” or “deuce to seven” method, where Aces are high and straights and flushes do count. With this method, the best possible low is a 75432. In both cases low poker hands are compared in terms of the number they create, from highest card to lowest — 87653 defeats 95432. If a joker is used, it serves as the lowest missing card.

Playing Poker Aggressive

Aggression is the key to winning in no limit holdem. If you stop and watch the top online poker players, you’ll notice they are all aggressive. They bet and raise way more often than they check and call. Aggression gives you control of the hand and lets you decide how each hand plays out. With well-tempered aggression, you become a terrifying force at the poker tables.

When I speak of aggression, I’m not referring to blind aggression. Aggression doesn’t mean randomly betting, raising and bluffing for the hell of it. It means playing your strong hands fast to get money in the pot and folding when you don’t have anything decent. Aggression is simply betting and raising when you have to goods and bailing out when you don’t.
Aggression Before the Flop

Playing with aggression before the flop serves several purposes. First of all, it gets money in the middle when you have a strong hand. Hands like AK are worth betting with because, even though they don’t win every time, they win more than their fair share of pots.

Every time someone puts money in against a stronger hand, the person with the stronger hand gains. If someone wants to try to suck out on you with an inferior hand, you should make them pay for the chance.

Raising your strong hands before the flop also serves to knock other people out of the pot. If you can get it down to just you and one or two other people, you’ll win way more often than if you let the whole table in. Remember, you want people to pay for the chance to play against your strong hands.
Aggression After the Flop

Post-flop aggression is useful in so many ways. Most importantly, it gets money in the middle when you have strong hands. I know I’m repeating myself but one of the biggest places poker players miss value is in not playing their strong hands fast enough.

In addition to that, aggression charges people to play draws against you. When you bet enough to cut down your opponents’ pot odds, you profit every time they call. If they fold, you get the pot. Even if they do hit their draws sometimes, it creates a win-win situation for you over the long term.

When you play aggressive with your made hands after the flop, it puts all the pressure on your opponents. It takes a bigger money commitment to raise your bets than it does to bet if you just check all the time. In the end, it makes your opponents play more straightforward against you. They are less willing to mess around with bluffs because you’re always out there playing strong hands and making big bets.

And finally, aggression gets you paid off more often. When other players see you out there betting and raising all the time, they naturally start to wonder if you’re just a bluff-monkey. The more you’re out there betting and raising, the more your opponents are willing to call out of disbelief. If you play your bluffs the same way, your opponents are going to have even more fun trying to figure out when you’re telling the truth and when you’re stealing the pot.
Summary

Remember, aggression is important but you can’t use blind aggression to make any money. Instead of calling with your weak hands, fold them. Instead of calling with your strong hands, raise them. Aggression is a simple concept to learn but difficult to implement. When you get the hang of it though, you’ll see major increases in your poker profits.

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