With few exceptions, all poker games place hands on the same
scale from high- to low-value. Poker hands are ranked depending
on their likelihood. The least-likely hands are the
highest-ranked; the most common hands are the lowest-ranked.
Identical poker hands are ranked by which hands holds cards of
the highest value.
Poker Hand Rank
Here is the standard hand rank, from highest to lowest:
Starting Hand Selection in Hold ‘em By David Sasseman Beginner Basics, Starting Hands (NL) In this lesson we're going to talk about the importance of starting hand selection in poker and what you need to consider before deciding to play a hand. NL Hold'em Starting Hand Charts One aspect of the game of No-Limit Hold'em that causes beginning players much grief is deciding which hands to play and which hands to dump. NL Hold'em is much more difficult than Limit Hold'em because the value of a hand depends on so many factors other than just the cards in your hand. Ever since the early days of Texas holdem poker, players have attempted to analyze and organize the 169 possible two card starting hands found in the game. One traditional way of doing so involves running thousands upon thousands of simulations in which a particular holdem hand is played out against nine random opponent hands.
A royal flush is a hand where all the cards are of the same suit and the 5 highest cards in consecutive order (10, J, Q, K, A). This hand is the best hand that you can get in the game of Texas Hold'em.
A straight flush is a hand where all the cards are of the same suit and are in consecutive order. For example, a 23456, all of hearts, is a straight flush. In the event of a tie, the straight flush with the highest card wins.
A 4 of a kind is a hand where 4 of the 5 cards are of the same ranking. An example of a hand with a 4 of a kind might have KKKK2. That would be the 2 in every suit–clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. In the event of a tie, the 4 of a kind with the highest hand ranking wins.
A full house is a hand that consists of 3 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank. An example of a full house might look like this: KKKQQ. In the event of a tie, the hand with the higher cards in the 3 cards is the winner.
A flush is a hand that consists of 5 cards of the same suit—clubs, diamonds, hearts, or spades. In the event of a tie, the flush with the highest card is the winner.
A straight is a hand where all 5 cards of consecutive ranks. 23456 is an example of a straight. In the event of a tie, the straight with the highest card is the winner.
2 pairs is a hand where you have 2 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank along with a final card of another rank. An example of 2 pairs might look like this: AAKK7.In the event of a tie, the hand with the highest pair wins.
1 pair is a hand where you 2 cards of one rank and 3 cards with different ranks. An example of a pair might look like this: JJ278. In the event of a tie, the higher ranked pair wins.
High card means a hand where none of the other hand rankings apply. If no one still in the hand can make a pair or better, the player with the highest card in his hand wins the pot.
Playing a live game of poker requires that you know this
hierarchy. For new players, this may seem a little daunting.
After all, here you have nine pieces of complex information to
remember in precise order.
A Word About Mnemonic Devices
I learned the order of poker hands using a mnemonic. I think
anyone can use this simple method to learn the hierarchy in a
matter of minutes. Mnemonics are popular memory devices used by
students, teachers, and people of all stripes for hundreds of
years in order to remember complex information.
You probably used a mnemonic device to remember the order of
the planets in our solar system. I remember learning the
sentence: 'My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas.'
The first letter of each of the words in that sentence will help
you remember that the planets go in this order – Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. I'll
probably never forget that fact, thanks to the mnemonic device I
was taught.
The trouble is, it's hard to convert hand rankings into
words. Besides that, I don't think you learn much about poker by
simply memorizing the order of hands. You should use the
opportunity of needing to learn proper hand hierarchy to improve
your understanding of poker strategy.
Casino near broad street birmingham. The tips below will help you understand the proper order of
poker hands better and introduce you to some basic poker
concepts to help you improve your overall game.
Low-Value Poker Hands
To remember the order of the four lowest-value hands, just
remember the number series '0, 1, 2, 3.'
- 0 means 'high card.' Having nothing in your hand means
the value of your hand depends on the value of your highest
card. Remember – in poker, aces rank high, while 2's rank
low. - 1 means 'one pair.' Any hand that contains just a single
pair of cards and nothing else valuable is a 1. - 2 means 'two pair.' This is a hand that contains two
pairs of cards. - 3 means 'three-of-a-kind.' It's the most valuable of the
low-value hands.
High-Value Poker Hands
For the purpose of this post, I'm calling every hand above a
three-of-a-kind a 'high-value hand,' but lots of poker
strategists would consider a straight to be a low-value hand.
This is really a difference in philosophy and a language issue
more than anything else.
For that reason, and for simplicity's sake, I like to think
of straight as a '/' symbol in my mnemonic. That means our
current mnemonic string goes: '0, 1, 2, 3, /.'
It's easier to memorize the order of the other high-ranking
hands if you count the number of letters in the hand's name.
It's made all the easier to remember by the fact that the number
of letters increases as you move up the scale.
Here's how I break it down:
- 5 – The word flush contains five letters.
- 9 – The words full house contain nine letters.
- 11 – The words four of a kind contain eleven letters.
- 13 – The words straight flush contain thirteen letters.
- 18 – The words royal straight flush contain eighteen
letters.
Putting them all together, our mnemonic is: '0 – 1 – 2 – 3 /
5 – 9 – 11 – 13 – 18.'
Other Ways to Memorize Hand Hierarchy
I'm not going to pretend that the method I used to learn hand
hierarchy is the only one that will work. The three ideas below
are the most popular tactics on the Web besides the use of
mnemonics, based on my research. You can use any of the four
methods described on this post to keep track of what hand beats
what other hand. That way, you'll be able to plan your tactics
ahead of time and make smart bidding decisions. Casino gambling techniques.
Rote Memorization
Some people learn best by repeated drilling of the material
to be memorized. I've heard of actors reading their scripts over
and over, playing tapes of the script in their sleep, and
learning their lines by rote. I can't think of any reason why
you shouldn't try this method.
Hand Evaluation Diagrams
Various poker trainer programs and strategy gurus have put
together diagrams to help you analyze your hand. You can use
these in poker rooms, and obviously you can use them online, so
long as you don't care about the other guys at the table making
fun of you. They're available for free with a simple Google
search.
Frequent Exposure
The more rounds of poker you play, the more you'll become
familiar with all the rules, including the rules of hand
ranking. You may lose a bunch on the way there, because of your
lack of familiarity with hand ranks, but, by God, you'll get it
eventually.
Conclusion
Remember that some poker variations assign different values
to cards and hands. Some games are totally reversed, rewarding
the lowest-value hand instead of the highest-value one. Other
games may consider an Ace to be low, or use Jokers, which throws
off the hierarchy and strategy a bit.
I hope that this page helped you learn about the value of the
cards you're dealt. I believe the best way to practice your
newfound understanding of hand hierarchy is to get out there and
play a bunch of poker. If you're still new to the game and not
yet comfortable with your understanding of hand rankings, you
can always play in free-to-play apps or use play-money at your
favorite online poker room.
Nl Holdem Hand Rankings Drills
As you have enlightened your knowledge about how to play Texas Hold'em poker, the five-card combination is determined to be the best based on the hand ranking. To fathom the hand ranking better we have fabricated a few frequently asked questions (FAQ) from which you can understand the hand ranking with live game scenarios.
Nl Holdem Hand Rankings College Basketball
A straight is a hand where all 5 cards of consecutive ranks. 23456 is an example of a straight. In the event of a tie, the straight with the highest card is the winner.
2 pairs is a hand where you have 2 cards of one rank and 2 cards of another rank along with a final card of another rank. An example of 2 pairs might look like this: AAKK7.In the event of a tie, the hand with the highest pair wins.
1 pair is a hand where you 2 cards of one rank and 3 cards with different ranks. An example of a pair might look like this: JJ278. In the event of a tie, the higher ranked pair wins.
High card means a hand where none of the other hand rankings apply. If no one still in the hand can make a pair or better, the player with the highest card in his hand wins the pot.
Playing a live game of poker requires that you know this
hierarchy. For new players, this may seem a little daunting.
After all, here you have nine pieces of complex information to
remember in precise order.
A Word About Mnemonic Devices
I learned the order of poker hands using a mnemonic. I think
anyone can use this simple method to learn the hierarchy in a
matter of minutes. Mnemonics are popular memory devices used by
students, teachers, and people of all stripes for hundreds of
years in order to remember complex information.
You probably used a mnemonic device to remember the order of
the planets in our solar system. I remember learning the
sentence: 'My very excellent mother just served us nine pizzas.'
The first letter of each of the words in that sentence will help
you remember that the planets go in this order – Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto. I'll
probably never forget that fact, thanks to the mnemonic device I
was taught.
The trouble is, it's hard to convert hand rankings into
words. Besides that, I don't think you learn much about poker by
simply memorizing the order of hands. You should use the
opportunity of needing to learn proper hand hierarchy to improve
your understanding of poker strategy.
Casino near broad street birmingham. The tips below will help you understand the proper order of
poker hands better and introduce you to some basic poker
concepts to help you improve your overall game.
Low-Value Poker Hands
To remember the order of the four lowest-value hands, just
remember the number series '0, 1, 2, 3.'
- 0 means 'high card.' Having nothing in your hand means
the value of your hand depends on the value of your highest
card. Remember – in poker, aces rank high, while 2's rank
low. - 1 means 'one pair.' Any hand that contains just a single
pair of cards and nothing else valuable is a 1. - 2 means 'two pair.' This is a hand that contains two
pairs of cards. - 3 means 'three-of-a-kind.' It's the most valuable of the
low-value hands.
High-Value Poker Hands
For the purpose of this post, I'm calling every hand above a
three-of-a-kind a 'high-value hand,' but lots of poker
strategists would consider a straight to be a low-value hand.
This is really a difference in philosophy and a language issue
more than anything else.
For that reason, and for simplicity's sake, I like to think
of straight as a '/' symbol in my mnemonic. That means our
current mnemonic string goes: '0, 1, 2, 3, /.'
It's easier to memorize the order of the other high-ranking
hands if you count the number of letters in the hand's name.
It's made all the easier to remember by the fact that the number
of letters increases as you move up the scale.
Here's how I break it down:
- 5 – The word flush contains five letters.
- 9 – The words full house contain nine letters.
- 11 – The words four of a kind contain eleven letters.
- 13 – The words straight flush contain thirteen letters.
- 18 – The words royal straight flush contain eighteen
letters.
Putting them all together, our mnemonic is: '0 – 1 – 2 – 3 /
5 – 9 – 11 – 13 – 18.'
Other Ways to Memorize Hand Hierarchy
I'm not going to pretend that the method I used to learn hand
hierarchy is the only one that will work. The three ideas below
are the most popular tactics on the Web besides the use of
mnemonics, based on my research. You can use any of the four
methods described on this post to keep track of what hand beats
what other hand. That way, you'll be able to plan your tactics
ahead of time and make smart bidding decisions. Casino gambling techniques.
Rote Memorization
Some people learn best by repeated drilling of the material
to be memorized. I've heard of actors reading their scripts over
and over, playing tapes of the script in their sleep, and
learning their lines by rote. I can't think of any reason why
you shouldn't try this method.
Hand Evaluation Diagrams
Various poker trainer programs and strategy gurus have put
together diagrams to help you analyze your hand. You can use
these in poker rooms, and obviously you can use them online, so
long as you don't care about the other guys at the table making
fun of you. They're available for free with a simple Google
search.
Frequent Exposure
The more rounds of poker you play, the more you'll become
familiar with all the rules, including the rules of hand
ranking. You may lose a bunch on the way there, because of your
lack of familiarity with hand ranks, but, by God, you'll get it
eventually.
Conclusion
Remember that some poker variations assign different values
to cards and hands. Some games are totally reversed, rewarding
the lowest-value hand instead of the highest-value one. Other
games may consider an Ace to be low, or use Jokers, which throws
off the hierarchy and strategy a bit.
I hope that this page helped you learn about the value of the
cards you're dealt. I believe the best way to practice your
newfound understanding of hand hierarchy is to get out there and
play a bunch of poker. If you're still new to the game and not
yet comfortable with your understanding of hand rankings, you
can always play in free-to-play apps or use play-money at your
favorite online poker room.
Nl Holdem Hand Rankings Drills
As you have enlightened your knowledge about how to play Texas Hold'em poker, the five-card combination is determined to be the best based on the hand ranking. To fathom the hand ranking better we have fabricated a few frequently asked questions (FAQ) from which you can understand the hand ranking with live game scenarios.
Nl Holdem Hand Rankings College Basketball
So let's learn about the hand ranking ( highest to the lowest rank):
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTION
Qn : Straight or flush, which is a better hand?
Ans : 5 cards of the same suit is called the 'flush' which is ranked higher than the 'straight' that is 5 cards in a sequence. This is one of the most common confusion that rises among the new players.
Qn : What if two players in the table form the same pair of combination?
Ans : In such scenarios, the pot money is equally divided between the winners. This happens only if the players have the same pair of hands or else even a single high card could change the winner.
Qn : What happens if two players form a straight hand each?
Ans : In poker, the straight's are usually represented in higher cards like straight–to- ten (10♥, 9♠, 8♠, 7♦, 6♥) so the player forming the higher card wins the game.
For example: let us take two players A and B, say player A has two hole cards of 9♥, 10♠ and player B has hole cards of 4♠, 5♦ while the cards on the community cards are 5♥, 6♣, 7♦, 8♠, 9♦. In this case, player A (6♣, 7♦, 8♠, 9♥, 10♠) wins over player B (4♠, 5♦, 6♣, 7♦, 8♠) because player A has higher cards when compared to player B.
Qn : What happens if two players form a Full House each?
Ans : Texas Hold'em is a game of high cards hence the higher cards are always considered for the win. So the player with higher card wins the pot in such scenarios.
For example: say, player A has two hole cards of K♥, K♣ and player B has hole cards of K♠, 10♦ while the cards on the community cards are K♦, 2♣, 10♥, 8, 10♣. In such scenarios, the player A with a card combination of (K♥, K♣, K♦, 10♥, 10♣) wins over the player B with a card combination of (k♠, k♦, 10♦, 10♥, 10♣) because the player A has the highest ranking hole cards.
Qn : What happens if nobody forms any combination of cards?
Ans : In the game of poker when no player forms any combination of cards the highest ranking card wins the pot.
For example: Say, player A has A♥, 10♦ and player B has K♣, J♥ while the community cards shows the community cards of 8♣, 4♠, 2♦, 5♦, 9♥. Player A wins the pot as player A forms A♥, 10♦, 9♥, 8♣, 5♦ and player B forms K♣, J♥, 9♥, 8♣, 5♦ where A is the highest ranking card.
Now that you have good knowledge about how to play poker as well as the hand rankings, Log-in and kick-start your win towards big pot.
