Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem
Table Of Contents
The basic rules of Texas Holdem gameplay are really easy to learn and, in fact, a complete beginner can be taught how to play in a matter of minutes. Texas Holdem is known as the Cadillac of poker for a reason. No other variant finds such a perfect balance between all of the various elements of poker. Playing poker online can be a great way to make some extra cash. This article will give you all you need to know about how to play Texas Holdem online, hand rankings, and the Texas Holdem rules. Knowing the basics is essential before playing real money poker online, poker is a fairly simple game, but + Read More.
Do you want to know what beats what in poker? Use the official poker hands rankings chart and seem them from best to worst!
Whether you play live at your local casino or card room, you have your home game going, or you prefer the online action at websites like PokerStars , 888Poker , or partypoker , you need to learn the order of poker hands from best to worse .
Use the list of poker hands below to know what beats what in poker.
Commit this poker hands ranking list to memory today and print it if you need it (there's a button for it at the bottom). Knowing the correct poker hands rank is key to start making winning poker hands. Poker Hands From Best To Worst Poker Hands From Best To Worst 1. Royal Flush 10 J Q K A The best possible hand in Texas hold'em is the combination of ten, jack, queen, king, ace, all of the same suit 2. Straight Flush 5 6 7 8 9 Five cards of the same suit in sequential order 3. Four of a kind 3 3 3 3 K Any four numerically matching cards 4. Full house J J J K K Combination of three of a kind and a pair in the same hand 5. Flush 2 4 5 9 K Five cards of the same suit, in any order 6. Straight A 2 3 4 5 Five cards of any suit, in sequential order 7. Three of a kind 7 7 7 4 5 Any three numerically matching cards 8. Two pair 9 9 K K 4 Two different pairs in the same hand 9. One pair 10 10 3 Q K Any two numerically matching cards 10. High card K 2 4 8 Q The highest ranked card in your hand with an ace being the highest and two being the lowest Download as PDF / ImageImage Not Sure What Beats What in Poker?
Many consider poker less of a gambling game than other casino games. For that to be true, players need to improve their understanding of game play and the strategy required to be a winning player.
The first step toward learning how to play poker is to learn the poker hand rankings .
Most poker players have these rankings memorized, which allows them to think about other things at the table when deciding the best way to play their hands.
The good news is these hand rankings tend to be the same among a wide variety of poker variants, whether it is Texas Hold'em, Omaha, seven-card stud, or other games.
All of those games use the same traditional poker hand rankings that were first developed way back in the 19th century when five-card draw first started to be played.
On this page, you find a complete list of poker hand rankings going from the highest possible hand (the Royal Flush ), down to the lowest hand in which there is no pair among the five cards.
Hand rankings in poker correspond to the likelihood of making such hands.
A royal flush, consisting of the cards ranked ace through ten all being the same suit, is extremely rare in fact, some players go their entire lives without making a royal flush.
A regular straight flush with any five consecutive cards of the same suit is a little less rare, four of a kind occurs slightly more frequently, and so on.
Notice that a full house is ranked higher than a flush.
That's because a full house comes just a little less frequently than a flush, thereby making it the higher-ranked hand of the two.
Additional readings for beginners:
Poker Tips : A collection of tips ' to bring your game from 'meh' to amazing ' created to help beginners become better players.
Texas Hold'em Strategy: a complete manual to read as soon as you start to remember what beats what in poker.
Poker starting hands chart: the only article you need to read to learn how to use your cards to the fullest. Understanding Winning Poker Hands
Players new to the game of Texas hold'em often struggle, at least at first, with what the best poker hands are.
Once they have read this easy-to-digest guide that will no longer be the case.
The aim of Texas hold'em is to make the best five-card poker hand at showdown.
You can win without having to show your cards if you force someone to fold before the river. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this article, we'll pretend that we've gone to showdown and need to know what beats what in poker . Winning Poker Hands: What Are The Best Hands In Poker?
First up is the weakest possible holding you can make in poker, a hand that can still win you the pot, although the likelihood of that happening decreases in a pot involving multiple players.
We are of course talking about high card .
As the name suggests, you don't even hold a pair here and instead are using the highest card among the five you are playing.
Example:
You have and the board has come .
Your best five-card hand would be where you would hold queen-high.
Next up is one pair , one of the more common Texas hold'em hands and one that will win you plenty of pots.
Example:
You have and the board comes .
Your five-card hand is you have a pair of aces. Nice poker hand!
One place higher up on the poker hands chart is two pair .
Example:
You have and the five community cards are .
Your best five-card hand at showdown is or two pair, tens and nines.
One note of warning on this specific poker hand: if you are verbally declaring your hand, try to announce the higher pair first as to help avoid confusion. Good Poker Hands
Now we're getting into the realm of the best poker hands because once you make three-of-a-kind (sometimes called a set or trips), you are much more likely to win the pot than with any of the previously mentioned hands.
Example:
Your five-card poker hand is you have three-of-a-kind kings, often a very powerful hand in hold'em.
To beat three-of-a-kind you're going to need at least a straight .
A straight is five consecutive cards where at least one of them is a different suit from the others.
Example:
Should your hand read you would hold a six-high straight.
If someone held a seven-high straight, then that player would win the hand.
There are two straights that have nicknames that are worth remembering.
A wheel is a straight that runs from ace-to-five, and a Broadway straight the strongest straight runs from ten-to-ace.
A flush is one of the most powerful Texas hold'em hands because it is only beaten by a handful of others.
Any hand that that has five cards of the same suit is a flush.
Aces are always high when it comes to flushes, which means a hand such as beats .
There are few hands that can beat a flush one that does is a full house . Also called a 'boat,' a full house is when your five-card hand is made up of three of a kind plus a pair.
Example:
With you have kings full of deuces, while is fives full of queens.
When it comes to full houses, the higher three of a kind determines which hand wins, so in this case 'kings full' would beat 'fives full.' The Stronger Hands in Poker
The next three holdings are so rare that if you hold them, you can almost guarantee that they are winning poker hands.
Four of a kind is the minimum holding you'll need to beat someone with a full house.
Again, as the name suggests, four of a kind means having four cards of the same rank.
Example:
is four-of-a-kind tens and an extremely powerful holding.
Your only way to beat four of a kind, or 'quads' as they are often called, is to hold either a straight flush or a Royal Flush .
The former is five consecutive cards all of the same suit, so would be an eight-high straight flush and practically unbeatable.
If you manage to make (or the same holding in any of the other three suits), you have a Royal Flush and the only way to lose the hand would be to fold by accident! Poker Hands Probability
If you are into numbers (most poker players are), you might be wondering about the probability of poker hands .
We said that she platers might go entire lives without ever getting the highest hand in poker but, looking at the numbers, what are the odds of a Royal Flush?
In this section of our complete analysis of the poker hand ranking and what beats what in poker, you get a clear overview of the probability of poker hands.
How to calculate the probability of poker hands?
When you know that there are 52 cards in play and 2,598,960 possible combinations, the calculation is easy.
You just need to divide the number of possibilities to build a specific poker hand by the number of total poker hands.
Let's run a few examples:
What are the odds of a Royal Flush? 0.000,001,539
(4/2,598,960)
What are the odds of a Straight Flush? 0.000,015,39
(40/2,598,960)
Use the table below to calculate the probabilities of all poker hands. Poker Hand No. Ways Probability Royal Flush 4 0.000,001,539 Straight Flush 40 0.000,015,39 Four-of-a-Kind 624 0.000,240,1 Full House 3,744 0.001,440,58 Flush 5,108 0.001,965,4 Straight 10,200 0.003,924,65 Three-of-a-Kind 54,912 0.021,128,45 Two Pairs 123,552 0,047,539,02 One Pair 1,098,240 0,422.569.03 Absolute Value vs. Relative Value of Poker Hands
It should be noted also that while poker hand rankings never change, sometimes circumstances can make a good hand less valuable and a poor hand more valuable.
In other words, when it comes to poker hands there's a difference between absolute value (reflected in the list of poker hands above) and relative value.
For instance, in a game of Texas hold'em, if you have two pair that might seem like a good hand .
But if your opponent keeps betting into you and it's possible he could have a straight or flush, your two pair is no longer looking so good.
Meanwhile, if you have just one pair but your opponent keeps checking to give you a free play at the pot, you might well have the strongest hand and should bet your hand.
The 'absolute' value of your hand may not be great, but in that case the 'relative' value very well could be.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that in some games like razz, deuce-to-seven triple draw, Badugi, and others you might encounter when playing online poker, the hand rankings listed below do not apply.
These hand rankings are for regular or 'high-card' games, not 'lowball' games with alternate hand rankings. Poker Hand Rankings F.A.Q.
What is the order of poker hands?
As shown in the poker hand rankings chart, the order of poker rankings (from the highest to the lowest) is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.
What is the best hand in poker?
The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker. To have a Royal Flush, you need an Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10. All the cards that compose the hand need to be of the same suit.
What beats what in poker?
As you can see in our poker hand rankings chart, the hands in poker follow a clear hierarchy.
In a game of poker, the hand rankings work as follows:
a pair beats a high card;
a two pair beats a one pair;
a three-of-a-kind beats a two pair;
a straight beats a three-of-a-kind;
a flush beats a straight;
a full house beats a flush;
a four-of-a-kind beats a full house;
a straight flush beats a four-of-a-kind;
a Royal Flush beats a straight flush.
The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker, so no one other hands beat this one.
What is a straight in poker?
You have a straight when all the five cards that compose your poker hand are consecutive ones. E.g. 5-6-7-8-9.
If the cards are of the same suit, you have a straight flush , which is a considerably stronger hand compare d to the simple straight.
What beats a straight in poker?
Although many see the straight as a stronger hand, there are many other poker hands that beat it.
The list of hands that beat a straight includes:
a flush;
a full house;
a four-of-a-kind;
a straight flush;
a Royal Flush.
What beats a flush in poker?
The list of hands that beat a flush includes:
a full house;
a four-of-a-kind;
a straight flush;
a Royal Flush.
What beats a full house in poker?
The list of hands that beat a full house includes:
a four-of-a-kind;
a straight flush;
a Royal Flush.
What is the highest suit in poker?
All the suits in poker have the same value. In some games, different suits can be assigned different values.
When that happens, the value is as follow (from the lowest to the highest): clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. In that case, spades is the highest suit.
How many poker hands are there?
The total number of poker hands in a game of poker is 2,598,960. Since a game of poker uses a 52-card deck of French cards, there are 2,598,960 different possible combinations (aka. poker hands).
What hands to play in poker?
The type of hands to play in a poker game depends on the game you play and other factors like your position in the hand, your stack, and the action at the table.
In a famous poker strategy article, professional player Jonathan Little shared which hands to play in poker and how to play marginal hands.
Can you make three pairs?
Although it is possible to hold a pair in your hand and then have another two pair appear among the five community cards, you can only use a total of five cards to make your poker hand, so you don't win anything for three pairs.
Which is better, a set or trips?
They are both essentially the same hand because they are both three of a kind.
The terminology 'set' is used when you have a pair as your hole cards and then catch another one of those cards on the board.
'Trips' is when there is a pair on the board and you have another of those cards as one of your hole cards.
Sets are easier to disguise than trips so many consider them to be a better hand, although they both rank the same.
What is a chopped or split pot?
If you and an opponent have the same five-card poker hand, then the pot is divided equally between you.
Say you have and your opponent has , and the board comes .
You both would be playing the same five-card hands in terms of their value (A-J-T-8-3), and so would split the pot.
If there is four of a kind on the board, who wins?
Because the aim is to make a five-card poker hand, whoever has the highest fifth card in this case wins.
If the board reads and you have in your hand and your opponent has , then you win because you hand is 7-7-7-7-A and your opponent's is 7-7-7-7-K.
You would also win even if your opponent holding was in this example.
Are the suits ranked in Texas hold'em?
No, they are not. Some poker variants have different ranks for suits, but hold'em is not one of them.
Why did my 4-4-4-T-T lose to my opponent's 7-7-7-8-8?
As mentioned earlier, it is the three-of-a-kind element of a full house that dictates the winner.
If you're new to the game and want a reference of all of Texas hold'em hands, you can keep this page open or you could always download and print our poker hands ranking chart and keep it next to you while you're playing poker. Useful Poker Tools
Poker Odds Calculator: Add your cards to the calculator to discover your chances to win the hand.
How to use PokerStars Tools to Your Advantage: As a beginner, this article can save your life! Let us show you how you can use all the tools available on the PokerStars client to become an outstanding poker player! Must Have Rooms
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The basic rules of Texas Holdem gameplay are really easy to learn and, in fact, a complete beginner can be taught how to play in a matter of minutes. Texas Holdem is known as the Cadillac of poker for a reason. No other variant finds such a perfect balance between all of the various elements of poker.
While the mechanics of the game are straightforward, the strategy needed to win is anything but simple. It takes countless hours of study and practice before one is able to even come close to mastering all the elements necessary to succeed and beat the competition. The great news is that learning is easier than ever in the information age. Even so, before you can learn any kind of poker strategy you must first understand the basic rules of the game. These include:
Defining Texas Holdem
The Positions at the Table
How the Cards Are Dealt
The Hand Rankings
Poker Actions (Bet, Raise, Call, Fold)
The Rules of Gameplay
The Basics of Betting What is No-Limit Texas Holdem?
Texas Holdem is a variant of poker where each player is dealt two hole cards that are kept face down for the entirety of the hand until showdown. There are four potential rounds of betting known as pre-flop, the flop, the turn, and the river. After the pre-flop betting round comes postflop, when second round of betting begins when the three flop cards are dealt face-up on the table. One more community card is dealt on each of the last two betting rounds, known as the turn and the river. Each players two hole cards are used to make the best five-card poker hand. After the last betting round, whoever has the best hand at showdown is deemed the winner of the pot.
Each player matches their hole cards up to the community cards and the best 5-card hand wins. Easy stuff. How Many Players Does it Take To Play a Game?
A poker table typically consists of between 2 and 9 players. If the game only has two players, its known as heads-up. If there is a maximum of 6 players allowed at a table, its known as 6-max. If the table has a maximum of 9 players, its known as (you guessed it) 9-max. Occasionally, you will encounter a 10-max game in some casino games. The largest single table game online is typically 9-max.
Regardless of the number of players, the gameplay is the same, with the exception of heads-up which has its own set of rules. What are the Poker Positions?
There are 6 key poker position names that you need to know. They are:
Under-The-Gun (UTG)
Hijack (HJ)
Cutoff (CO)
Button (BTN)
Small Blind (SB)
Big Blind (BB)
Here are the positions, shown on a 6-max poker table. For 9-max, you would add UTG+1, UTG+2, and UTG+3 between the UTG player and the HJ.
The game of Texas Holdem revolves around the Button and Blinds. On each successive hand, the button and blinds move once to the left. In the example above, on the very next hand, the Small Blind will become the Button, the Big Blind will become the Small Blind, and UTG will become the BB. The Button
The Button is also the player who is the acting dealer. All Texas Holdem games have a physical button that is placed in front of the Dealer before the hand commences. The exception is when you are playing in a live game that has a dedicated dealer. In that case, the actual dealer does not have the button in front of him or her. Of course, online the entire dealing process is automated and the dealer button and blinds move automatically. The Blinds
There are two players that are required to post a forced bet, or ante, before the hand can begin. Typically, the small blind is exactly one half of the big blind amount. Thus, if you are playing in a game where the big blind is 50 cents, then the small blind would be 25 cents. The Other Positions
Understanding how the other positions work is not important for a beginner. What matters is that you understand how the relationship between the Button and Blinds operates. Once you start learning strategy and discussing hands with other players, understanding the individual strategies of the other positions will become necessary. For now, what you need to know is how the table is set up and where the blinds sit in relation to the Button. What Does Out Of Position and In Position Mean?
The terms out of position and in position are terms associated with post-flop play. To be in position means you act last during each betting round. Out of position means you do not act last. Dont worry about what it means to play in or out of position right now, just make sure you understand what the terms mean. How Are the Cards Dealt Before the Flop?
Once the Button and Blinds are established, the dealing begins in a clockwise fashion starting with the player directly to the Buttons left. Thus, the first player to receive a card is the Small Blind, followed by the Big Blind, so on and so forth. The last player to receive a card is always the Dealer. How Are the Cards Dealt in Heads-Up?
In heads-up matches, the player in the Big Blind receives the first card. Hand Rankings
With but a few exceptions, every poker game is a battle to make the best five-card hand. Here is a list of the ranking order of all 10 possible hands that one can hold followed by the best starting hands in Texas Holdem. Make sure you memorize these hands as playing the game is impossible otherwise. Best 5-Card Poker Hands Ranked from Highest to Lowest 1.
Royal Flush The best possible hand in poker. With the highest card being an Ace, all five cards must be in numerical order with identical suits. In poker, all suits are equally ranked. 2.
Straight Flush All five cards must be in numerical order with no gaps in between and all of the same suit. Making a straight flush is so rare that most players can remember every single one in their lifetime. 3.
Four of a Kind Any four cards of the same rank, with the fifth card being called the kicker. Another extremely rare hand to achieve. 4.
Full House 3 matching card ranks along with 2 matching card ranks. The example shows Nines full of Aces. When ranking full houses, the cards that matter are the trips, ie. Eights full of twos beats Sevens full of Aces. 5.
Flush Five non-consecutive cards of the same suit. The highest card rank determines the strength of the flush. The example shows a Jack-high flush, which would only be beaten by a Queen-high or better flush. 6.
Straight Five cards that are in the sequence. For the purposes of making a straight, Aces can count as either the highest card or the lowest (technically a one). An Ace to five straight is called The Wheel. 7.
Three of a Kind Commonly called Trips, three of a kind contains any three cards with the same rank. As with other poker hands, in the event of a tie, the highest ranked trips wins. 8.
Two Pair This hand is self-explanatory and consists of two cards with matching rank alongside another two cards of matching rank. If two players have two pair, the highest ranks win, ie, JJ55 beats both TT99 and JJ44. 9.
One Pair A pair is made up of two matching card ranks along with three unrelated side cards. 10.
High Card A hand that does not meet any of the above criteria. The best high card hand possible is AKQJ9. In the event of a tie, the next highest card is used to break the tie. ie. AJ852 beats AJ843. Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
Below is a chart of the best 10 starting hands in Holdem. If you do not understand the description at this time, do not worry. Once you start learning strategy things will become clear. If you are a complete beginner, for now just focus on which hands are the strongest and make sure you grasp the order. 1.
Pocket Aces Pocket Aces (AA) are by far the strongest starting hand in Texas holdem. In fact, on average they are greater than a 4 to 1 favorite against other hands. As with any other pair, you will be dealt pocket Aces about once every 221 hands. 2.
Pocket Kings The second-best starting hand in Texas Holdem. For the most part, pocket Kings (KK) plays the same as Aces in that they should never be folded pre-flop except in extremely rare cases. 3.
Pocket Queens Pocket Queens (QQ) is considered a premium hand and should be your third biggest winner as your poker career progresses. 4.
Ace- King Suited Ace-King Suited (AKs) is the best unpaired hand possible in Texas holdem. When all-in there is really only one hand that you should fear running into; AA. AKs is close to even money against most pairs and will even win 1 in 3 times versus pocket Kings! 5.
Pocket Jacks Pocket Jacks (JJ) have a bit of a bad reputation. For some reason, many recreational players just despise this hand. Dont listen to the hype! JJ is a premium holding and will win you a lot of dough over your poker career. 6.
Pocket Tens Over a large sample size, Tens are almost as big a winner for me as Jacks and pretty much equal to Ace-King Offsuit. 7.
Ace-King Offsuit The power of Ace-King Offsuit (AKo) is in that it dominates the other big Ace hands like AQ, AJ, and AT. Also, if it doesnt make top pair, you are guaranteed to always have overcards to the board. AK will make top pair by the river nearly 50 of the time. 8.
Ace-Queen Suited Ace-Queen Suited (AQs) plays similarly to AK. The major difference is that you generally dont mind getting AK all-in before the flop whereas AQ tends to be a big loser if you do so with any regularity. 9.
Pocket Nines You are probably getting the hang of this by now. Pocket nines are one tick below the strength of Tens, as you might expect. Even though 99 is considered by most to be inferior to AQs, I actually always prefer to start with the pair. 10.
Ace-Jack Suited Ace-Jack Suited (AJs) is a mid-strength holding in most situations and should be played accordingly. It can still make a strong top pair hand, a straight, and a flush but is vulnerable to being dominated by AK and AQ.
While raw equity is one way to calculate the top 10 hands, it also helps to consider overall playability before deciding which hands to play. Here is a printable chart that will give you hand rankings based on how well the hands play overall. Poker Actions
When a player does something at the table, its known as an action. There are six possible poker actions that a player can take. He or she can:
Fold
What folding means is that you have decided not to continue playing the current hand. To fold, slide your cards into the middle of the table (face down) and sit back and relax. Online players just have to click the fold button. Once you fold, you cannot win the current hand.
Check
Checking means that you do not wish to bet, but calling is not an option and is most often associated with post-flop play. Before the flop, the only player that can check without calling is the Big Blind, since he or she has already placed the largest bet possible (the big blind).
Call
To call means to exactly match the current largest bet, raise, or reraise. Before the flop, if no one has previously raised, you can call the exact amount of the big blind. This is known as limping.
Bet
Technically, the only time you can bet is after the flop and when no one else has previously bet before the action got to you. Before the flop, any bet is actually a raise of the big blind, which is considered a forced bet (or ante). Any bet must be double the big blind before the flop and equal to the big blind after the flop.
Raise
If you want to commit a higher amount of chips than the current bet, you will need to raise. A raise must at least be equal to the size of the prior bet or raise.
Reraise
During a poker round, when someone has previously raised before you, your only option to making an even bigger bet is to reraise. The rules of reraising work exactly the same as it does for raising. A reraise must at least be equal to the size of the prior bet, raise, or reraise. Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Game What Are The Basic Rules of Gameplay?
Texas Holdem consists of various stages or betting rounds. Each round (or street) continues until the betting round is closed. Make sure you pay close attention to learning the order of play since it is different depending on what stage of the hand you are currently involved in.
This guide will focus on gameplay for 3 or more players. The rules are a bit different for heads-up play but dont worry about that right now. As you gain more experience it will become important to learn how heads-up play works. Pre-flop The First Betting Round
The first betting round occurs immediately after all of the initial hole cards have been distributed to every player at the table. The first player to act pre-flop is the player directly to the left of the Big Blind, usually the under the gun player (UTG). Once he or she has acted, play then moves to the next player to the left. Play then continues clockwise until the big blind has acted.
When pre-flop is over it is time for post-flop. During post-flop, a series of community cards will be turned face up to be matched with each players hole cards. Each player uses the cards on the board to make the best hand they possibly can. How Are the Cards Dealt Post-flop?
On the flop, the dealer deals three community cards. On the turn and river, only one card is dealt per each street for a total of five cards by the end of the hand.
To deal the cards properly on the flop, turn, or river the dealer has to follow the burn and turn rules of the game. First, before the community cards (or card) can be dealt, a single card must be burned. To burn a card basically means to take the first card off the deck and discard it before dealing the flop, turn, or river. One card must be burned per street. The Flop The Second Betting Round
The first post-flop round, or first street, is known as the flop. The flop consists of three community cards that are laid out in the middle of the table. Each player uses his or her two hole cards, matched with the community cards, to make their five-card hand. Based on the flop, each player, in turn, makes a decision on how to play their hand accordingly.
The first player to act after the flop and on all further streets has been dealt is the small blind. Once he or she has acted, play then moves to the next player to the left, the big blind. Play then continues clockwise until the round has been completed. The Turn The Third Betting Round
Unlike the flop, the turn is only one card. Each player now uses their two hole cards along with only three out of the four cards on the board which allow them to make the best hand that they can. Always remember that a poker hand always consists of only 5 cards total.
Again, another round of betting occurs, starting clockwise from the small blind and working around the table. Remember, the button, or player closest to the right of the button, always goes last. The River The Fourth and Final Betting Round
On the river, a fifth and final card is added to the board. Again, each player still involved in the hand matched their hole cards with the best three cards on the board to make the best hand they possibly can.
Once the final betting round is completed, the remaining players still left in the hand expose their hole cards so that the winner can be determined. This is known as the showdown. Showdown Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Play
Showdown is when the hole cards are revealed and the winner is established based on the best five-card hand.
If you are a live player, I recommend always flipping up your hand at showdown and let the dealer or other players help you figure out who has the winning hand. Once you gain more experience, you can learn to start mucking your hand if you know that you have lost. To muck means to leave your cards face down and slide them into the middle of the table. Discarded hands in the middle of the table are known as the muck.
For online players, the process is automated so you dont have to worry about accidentally mucking the best hand.
Below is an example hand played out from pre-flop through to the river. How Can The Action Be Opened or Closed on a Round?
There are two types of actions that can be performed at the poker table: closing actions or opening actions.
Opening Actions
Once someone places an initial bet, raises, or reraises another player, the betting round is said to have been opened or reopened. Once the action has been opened or reopened, all other players still left in the hand are required to act again until play is either closed or reopened again. The actions associated with opening or reopening the action are betting, raising, and reraising.
Closing Actions
A closing action moves play on to the next round or ends the hand. It occurs when no other bets or raises can be made because the final player left to act decides to either fold, check, or call. Therefore, folding, checking, and calling are known as closing actions. Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem The Basics of Betting
Now that you understand how a poker hand is played, lets talk about betting. In poker, betting works a bit different depending on whether its before the flop or after. Pre-Flop Betting
First off, before the flop, two bets have already been technically made before anyone acts. Both the small blind and big blind have already been wagered. Therefore, when the blinds have been posted and all of the cards have been dealt, any bet made is actually referred to as a raise, since you are raising the big blind. The first raise before the flop is often referred to as an opening raise. What Is An Opening Raise?
An opening raise is when a player makes the first bet after the blinds are posted before the flop comes down. If the opening raise is reraised, its known as a 3-bet, since its the third raise being made. 3-Betting 4-Betting
The way 3-betting or 4-betting works is not as complicated as you might imagine. Simply put, the posting of the big blind is the first bet, the opening raise is the second bet, and the reraise of the opening raise is the third bet. This can continue indefinitely until someone doesnt have enough chips to make an additional raise, ie., if you reraise a 3-bet, its called a 4-bet. If you reraise a 4-bet, its called a 5-bet. You get the idea.
Below is an example hand that continues all the way until a 5-bet. Post-Flop Betting
After the flop, the slate is clean and the first wager made on each street is known as a bet. Most players do not use the 3-bet/4-bet nomenclature after the flop as it can get confusing when discussing a hand. Using the term 3-betting, 4-betting, etc. is almost universally associated with pre-flop play only. Instead, the term raise, reraise, and re-reraise are used instead. Its extremely rare that there will ever be an additional raise beyond that since, most of the time, someone would be all-in by the second reraise. Continuation Betting
On every street after the flop, the last person to perform an opening action (bet, raise, or reraise) before the next card is dealt is known to have something called the lead. To have the lead means simply that you were the last aggressor on the prior street. If the player with the lead bets first its known as continuation betting or c-betting. Basically, the term just means that a prior bettor continues betting on the next street. If a person who does not have the lead bets on a post-flop street, its known as taking the lead. Donk Betting
If an out-of-position player does not have the lead and bets into the person with the lead, its sometimes referred to as donk betting. Summary
The beauty of Texas Holdem lies in the simplicity of the basic rules. In a matter of minutes, anyone can understand how to play the game. Even so, that is not entirely where the appeal for the game comes from. The real draw comes from the near-perfect balance of skill and luck that endeavor offers. Theres just enough information known to be able to glean what our opponents are doing, making it a highly skill-based game. On the other hand, there is a definite gambling aspect to the game that gives excitement as you never know enough to fully figure the game out. The bottom line is that Texas Holdem offers a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you are a pure gambler who loves the thrill of big all-ins or a reserved person who enjoys solving the minutiae of the game as a battle of wits. Texas Holdem is the game for you. Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Players Advice On Getting Started as a Beginner Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Tournaments
If you are a complete beginner, here are a few things I recommend doing before you move on to the next section on strategy. This will make sure that you have a firm foundation on how gameplay works and make learning more advanced concepts much easier.
Memorize the Hand Rankings
Make sure that you have a firm grasp on what beats what in poker. Nothing would hamper your play more than if you got to a showdown and thought that your straight beat a flush. There is nothing wrong with keeping a cheat sheet in front of you while you play until you find that you no longer have to look at it.
Practice At Home
Most everyone owns a deck of cards. If not, you can pick up one really cheaply at any second-hand store. Once you have the deck, sit at a table and pretend there are several other players. Designate the Button and Blind players with some type of marker. A coaster works great for the button and pennies will suffice for the blinds if you dont have any poker chips. Deal out the cards to all of the ghost players and yourself, just as a real dealer would in a casino. At first, I recommend dealing the cards face up. Then deal out a flop, turn, and river and practice ranking each players hand in order from best to worst, based on the cards on the board. (possibly do a video on this at my kitchen table?)
Get Some Play Money Experience
Just to get a feel for how the game plays, I recommend practicing on a poker site that allows play money. The best place to do this is probably at Pokerstars since they have such a high number of players. US players cant play on Pokerstars for real money, but they can play in the play money games. Dont worry about strategy for now. Just play as many hands as possible and get a feel for the mechanics of betting, raising, calling, and folding. Try to see as many showdowns as possible, especially in small pots. Observe what other players are doing and see if you can guess which player has the best hand each time based on the action. Once you have spent a few hours in the play money games, you should be ready to move to the next step in the guide.. learning about strategy! Whats Next?
Once you understand the basic rules of gameplay in Texas Holdem, its time to move to the next stage of your poker development and start learning about strategy. Dont worry, things wont get too complicated for you too quickly. I have purposefully set up this guide to incrementally build upon your poker knowledge and ease you into the game as efficiently as possible. My goal is to first create a firm foundation around the basic fundamentals and then slowly increase your understanding as you play and study.
Keep in mind that this guide is not designed to make you the best player you can be in an hour, day, or even a month. It takes many hundreds of hours of study and play before you can even begin to understand all of the numerous complexities involved in mastering the game. The good news is that its possible to have a lot of fun while learning! So, if you are up to the task and ready to find your best poker game, lets continue.
The basic rules of Texas Holdem gameplay are really easy to learn and, in fact, a complete beginner can be taught how to play in a matter of minutes. Texas Holdem is known as the Cadillac of poker for a reason. No other variant finds such a perfect balance between all of the various elements of poker. Playing poker online can be a great way to make some extra cash. This article will give you all you need to know about how to play Texas Holdem online, hand rankings, and the Texas Holdem rules. Knowing the basics is essential before playing real money poker online, poker is a fairly simple game, but + Read More.
Do you want to know what beats what in poker? Use the official poker hands rankings chart and seem them from best to worst!
Whether you play live at your local casino or card room, you have your home game going, or you prefer the online action at websites like PokerStars , 888Poker , or partypoker , you need to learn the order of poker hands from best to worse .
Use the list of poker hands below to know what beats what in poker.
Commit this poker hands ranking list to memory today and print it if you need it (there's a button for it at the bottom). Knowing the correct poker hands rank is key to start making winning poker hands. Poker Hands From Best To Worst Poker Hands From Best To Worst 1. Royal Flush 10 J Q K A The best possible hand in Texas hold'em is the combination of ten, jack, queen, king, ace, all of the same suit 2. Straight Flush 5 6 7 8 9 Five cards of the same suit in sequential order 3. Four of a kind 3 3 3 3 K Any four numerically matching cards 4. Full house J J J K K Combination of three of a kind and a pair in the same hand 5. Flush 2 4 5 9 K Five cards of the same suit, in any order 6. Straight A 2 3 4 5 Five cards of any suit, in sequential order 7. Three of a kind 7 7 7 4 5 Any three numerically matching cards 8. Two pair 9 9 K K 4 Two different pairs in the same hand 9. One pair 10 10 3 Q K Any two numerically matching cards 10. High card K 2 4 8 Q The highest ranked card in your hand with an ace being the highest and two being the lowest Download as PDF / ImageImage Not Sure What Beats What in Poker?
Many consider poker less of a gambling game than other casino games. For that to be true, players need to improve their understanding of game play and the strategy required to be a winning player.
The first step toward learning how to play poker is to learn the poker hand rankings .
Most poker players have these rankings memorized, which allows them to think about other things at the table when deciding the best way to play their hands.
The good news is these hand rankings tend to be the same among a wide variety of poker variants, whether it is Texas Hold'em, Omaha, seven-card stud, or other games.
All of those games use the same traditional poker hand rankings that were first developed way back in the 19th century when five-card draw first started to be played.
On this page, you find a complete list of poker hand rankings going from the highest possible hand (the Royal Flush ), down to the lowest hand in which there is no pair among the five cards.
Hand rankings in poker correspond to the likelihood of making such hands.
A royal flush, consisting of the cards ranked ace through ten all being the same suit, is extremely rare in fact, some players go their entire lives without making a royal flush.
A regular straight flush with any five consecutive cards of the same suit is a little less rare, four of a kind occurs slightly more frequently, and so on.
Notice that a full house is ranked higher than a flush.
That's because a full house comes just a little less frequently than a flush, thereby making it the higher-ranked hand of the two.
Additional readings for beginners:
Poker Tips : A collection of tips ' to bring your game from 'meh' to amazing ' created to help beginners become better players.
Texas Hold'em Strategy: a complete manual to read as soon as you start to remember what beats what in poker.
Poker starting hands chart: the only article you need to read to learn how to use your cards to the fullest. Understanding Winning Poker Hands
Players new to the game of Texas hold'em often struggle, at least at first, with what the best poker hands are.
Once they have read this easy-to-digest guide that will no longer be the case.
The aim of Texas hold'em is to make the best five-card poker hand at showdown.
You can win without having to show your cards if you force someone to fold before the river. Nonetheless, for the purpose of this article, we'll pretend that we've gone to showdown and need to know what beats what in poker . Winning Poker Hands: What Are The Best Hands In Poker?
First up is the weakest possible holding you can make in poker, a hand that can still win you the pot, although the likelihood of that happening decreases in a pot involving multiple players.
We are of course talking about high card .
As the name suggests, you don't even hold a pair here and instead are using the highest card among the five you are playing.
Example:
You have and the board has come .
Your best five-card hand would be where you would hold queen-high.
Next up is one pair , one of the more common Texas hold'em hands and one that will win you plenty of pots.
Example:
You have and the board comes .
Your five-card hand is you have a pair of aces. Nice poker hand!
One place higher up on the poker hands chart is two pair .
Example:
You have and the five community cards are .
Your best five-card hand at showdown is or two pair, tens and nines.
One note of warning on this specific poker hand: if you are verbally declaring your hand, try to announce the higher pair first as to help avoid confusion. Good Poker Hands
Now we're getting into the realm of the best poker hands because once you make three-of-a-kind (sometimes called a set or trips), you are much more likely to win the pot than with any of the previously mentioned hands.
Example:
Your five-card poker hand is you have three-of-a-kind kings, often a very powerful hand in hold'em.
To beat three-of-a-kind you're going to need at least a straight .
A straight is five consecutive cards where at least one of them is a different suit from the others.
Example:
Should your hand read you would hold a six-high straight.
If someone held a seven-high straight, then that player would win the hand.
There are two straights that have nicknames that are worth remembering.
A wheel is a straight that runs from ace-to-five, and a Broadway straight the strongest straight runs from ten-to-ace.
A flush is one of the most powerful Texas hold'em hands because it is only beaten by a handful of others.
Any hand that that has five cards of the same suit is a flush.
Aces are always high when it comes to flushes, which means a hand such as beats .
There are few hands that can beat a flush one that does is a full house . Also called a 'boat,' a full house is when your five-card hand is made up of three of a kind plus a pair.
Example:
With you have kings full of deuces, while is fives full of queens.
When it comes to full houses, the higher three of a kind determines which hand wins, so in this case 'kings full' would beat 'fives full.' The Stronger Hands in Poker
The next three holdings are so rare that if you hold them, you can almost guarantee that they are winning poker hands.
Four of a kind is the minimum holding you'll need to beat someone with a full house.
Again, as the name suggests, four of a kind means having four cards of the same rank.
Example:
is four-of-a-kind tens and an extremely powerful holding.
Your only way to beat four of a kind, or 'quads' as they are often called, is to hold either a straight flush or a Royal Flush .
The former is five consecutive cards all of the same suit, so would be an eight-high straight flush and practically unbeatable.
If you manage to make (or the same holding in any of the other three suits), you have a Royal Flush and the only way to lose the hand would be to fold by accident! Poker Hands Probability
If you are into numbers (most poker players are), you might be wondering about the probability of poker hands .
We said that she platers might go entire lives without ever getting the highest hand in poker but, looking at the numbers, what are the odds of a Royal Flush?
In this section of our complete analysis of the poker hand ranking and what beats what in poker, you get a clear overview of the probability of poker hands.
How to calculate the probability of poker hands?
When you know that there are 52 cards in play and 2,598,960 possible combinations, the calculation is easy.
You just need to divide the number of possibilities to build a specific poker hand by the number of total poker hands.
Let's run a few examples:
What are the odds of a Royal Flush? 0.000,001,539
(4/2,598,960)
What are the odds of a Straight Flush? 0.000,015,39
(40/2,598,960)
Use the table below to calculate the probabilities of all poker hands. Poker Hand No. Ways Probability Royal Flush 4 0.000,001,539 Straight Flush 40 0.000,015,39 Four-of-a-Kind 624 0.000,240,1 Full House 3,744 0.001,440,58 Flush 5,108 0.001,965,4 Straight 10,200 0.003,924,65 Three-of-a-Kind 54,912 0.021,128,45 Two Pairs 123,552 0,047,539,02 One Pair 1,098,240 0,422.569.03 Absolute Value vs. Relative Value of Poker Hands
It should be noted also that while poker hand rankings never change, sometimes circumstances can make a good hand less valuable and a poor hand more valuable.
In other words, when it comes to poker hands there's a difference between absolute value (reflected in the list of poker hands above) and relative value.
For instance, in a game of Texas hold'em, if you have two pair that might seem like a good hand .
But if your opponent keeps betting into you and it's possible he could have a straight or flush, your two pair is no longer looking so good.
Meanwhile, if you have just one pair but your opponent keeps checking to give you a free play at the pot, you might well have the strongest hand and should bet your hand.
The 'absolute' value of your hand may not be great, but in that case the 'relative' value very well could be.
Also worth mentioning is the fact that in some games like razz, deuce-to-seven triple draw, Badugi, and others you might encounter when playing online poker, the hand rankings listed below do not apply.
These hand rankings are for regular or 'high-card' games, not 'lowball' games with alternate hand rankings. Poker Hand Rankings F.A.Q.
What is the order of poker hands?
As shown in the poker hand rankings chart, the order of poker rankings (from the highest to the lowest) is: Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four-of-a-Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three-of-a-Kind, Two Pair, One Pair, High Card.
What is the best hand in poker?
The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker. To have a Royal Flush, you need an Ace, a King, a Queen, a Jack, and a 10. All the cards that compose the hand need to be of the same suit.
What beats what in poker?
As you can see in our poker hand rankings chart, the hands in poker follow a clear hierarchy.
In a game of poker, the hand rankings work as follows:
a pair beats a high card;
a two pair beats a one pair;
a three-of-a-kind beats a two pair;
a straight beats a three-of-a-kind;
a flush beats a straight;
a full house beats a flush;
a four-of-a-kind beats a full house;
a straight flush beats a four-of-a-kind;
a Royal Flush beats a straight flush.
The Royal Flush is the best hand in poker, so no one other hands beat this one.
What is a straight in poker?
You have a straight when all the five cards that compose your poker hand are consecutive ones. E.g. 5-6-7-8-9.
If the cards are of the same suit, you have a straight flush , which is a considerably stronger hand compare d to the simple straight.
What beats a straight in poker?
Although many see the straight as a stronger hand, there are many other poker hands that beat it.
The list of hands that beat a straight includes:
a flush;
a full house;
a four-of-a-kind;
a straight flush;
a Royal Flush.
What beats a flush in poker?
The list of hands that beat a flush includes:
a full house;
a four-of-a-kind;
a straight flush;
a Royal Flush.
What beats a full house in poker?
The list of hands that beat a full house includes:
a four-of-a-kind;
a straight flush;
a Royal Flush.
What is the highest suit in poker?
All the suits in poker have the same value. In some games, different suits can be assigned different values.
When that happens, the value is as follow (from the lowest to the highest): clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades. In that case, spades is the highest suit.
How many poker hands are there?
The total number of poker hands in a game of poker is 2,598,960. Since a game of poker uses a 52-card deck of French cards, there are 2,598,960 different possible combinations (aka. poker hands).
What hands to play in poker?
The type of hands to play in a poker game depends on the game you play and other factors like your position in the hand, your stack, and the action at the table.
In a famous poker strategy article, professional player Jonathan Little shared which hands to play in poker and how to play marginal hands.
Can you make three pairs?
Although it is possible to hold a pair in your hand and then have another two pair appear among the five community cards, you can only use a total of five cards to make your poker hand, so you don't win anything for three pairs.
Which is better, a set or trips?
They are both essentially the same hand because they are both three of a kind.
The terminology 'set' is used when you have a pair as your hole cards and then catch another one of those cards on the board.
'Trips' is when there is a pair on the board and you have another of those cards as one of your hole cards.
Sets are easier to disguise than trips so many consider them to be a better hand, although they both rank the same.
What is a chopped or split pot?
If you and an opponent have the same five-card poker hand, then the pot is divided equally between you.
Say you have and your opponent has , and the board comes .
You both would be playing the same five-card hands in terms of their value (A-J-T-8-3), and so would split the pot.
If there is four of a kind on the board, who wins?
Because the aim is to make a five-card poker hand, whoever has the highest fifth card in this case wins.
If the board reads and you have in your hand and your opponent has , then you win because you hand is 7-7-7-7-A and your opponent's is 7-7-7-7-K.
You would also win even if your opponent holding was in this example.
Are the suits ranked in Texas hold'em?
No, they are not. Some poker variants have different ranks for suits, but hold'em is not one of them.
Why did my 4-4-4-T-T lose to my opponent's 7-7-7-8-8?
As mentioned earlier, it is the three-of-a-kind element of a full house that dictates the winner.
If you're new to the game and want a reference of all of Texas hold'em hands, you can keep this page open or you could always download and print our poker hands ranking chart and keep it next to you while you're playing poker. Useful Poker Tools
Poker Odds Calculator: Add your cards to the calculator to discover your chances to win the hand.
How to use PokerStars Tools to Your Advantage: As a beginner, this article can save your life! Let us show you how you can use all the tools available on the PokerStars client to become an outstanding poker player! Must Have Rooms
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The basic rules of Texas Holdem gameplay are really easy to learn and, in fact, a complete beginner can be taught how to play in a matter of minutes. Texas Holdem is known as the Cadillac of poker for a reason. No other variant finds such a perfect balance between all of the various elements of poker.
While the mechanics of the game are straightforward, the strategy needed to win is anything but simple. It takes countless hours of study and practice before one is able to even come close to mastering all the elements necessary to succeed and beat the competition. The great news is that learning is easier than ever in the information age. Even so, before you can learn any kind of poker strategy you must first understand the basic rules of the game. These include:
Defining Texas Holdem
The Positions at the Table
How the Cards Are Dealt
The Hand Rankings
Poker Actions (Bet, Raise, Call, Fold)
The Rules of Gameplay
The Basics of Betting What is No-Limit Texas Holdem?
Texas Holdem is a variant of poker where each player is dealt two hole cards that are kept face down for the entirety of the hand until showdown. There are four potential rounds of betting known as pre-flop, the flop, the turn, and the river. After the pre-flop betting round comes postflop, when second round of betting begins when the three flop cards are dealt face-up on the table. One more community card is dealt on each of the last two betting rounds, known as the turn and the river. Each players two hole cards are used to make the best five-card poker hand. After the last betting round, whoever has the best hand at showdown is deemed the winner of the pot.
Each player matches their hole cards up to the community cards and the best 5-card hand wins. Easy stuff. How Many Players Does it Take To Play a Game?
A poker table typically consists of between 2 and 9 players. If the game only has two players, its known as heads-up. If there is a maximum of 6 players allowed at a table, its known as 6-max. If the table has a maximum of 9 players, its known as (you guessed it) 9-max. Occasionally, you will encounter a 10-max game in some casino games. The largest single table game online is typically 9-max.
Regardless of the number of players, the gameplay is the same, with the exception of heads-up which has its own set of rules. What are the Poker Positions?
There are 6 key poker position names that you need to know. They are:
Under-The-Gun (UTG)
Hijack (HJ)
Cutoff (CO)
Button (BTN)
Small Blind (SB)
Big Blind (BB)
Here are the positions, shown on a 6-max poker table. For 9-max, you would add UTG+1, UTG+2, and UTG+3 between the UTG player and the HJ.
The game of Texas Holdem revolves around the Button and Blinds. On each successive hand, the button and blinds move once to the left. In the example above, on the very next hand, the Small Blind will become the Button, the Big Blind will become the Small Blind, and UTG will become the BB. The Button
The Button is also the player who is the acting dealer. All Texas Holdem games have a physical button that is placed in front of the Dealer before the hand commences. The exception is when you are playing in a live game that has a dedicated dealer. In that case, the actual dealer does not have the button in front of him or her. Of course, online the entire dealing process is automated and the dealer button and blinds move automatically. The Blinds
There are two players that are required to post a forced bet, or ante, before the hand can begin. Typically, the small blind is exactly one half of the big blind amount. Thus, if you are playing in a game where the big blind is 50 cents, then the small blind would be 25 cents. The Other Positions
Understanding how the other positions work is not important for a beginner. What matters is that you understand how the relationship between the Button and Blinds operates. Once you start learning strategy and discussing hands with other players, understanding the individual strategies of the other positions will become necessary. For now, what you need to know is how the table is set up and where the blinds sit in relation to the Button. What Does Out Of Position and In Position Mean?
The terms out of position and in position are terms associated with post-flop play. To be in position means you act last during each betting round. Out of position means you do not act last. Dont worry about what it means to play in or out of position right now, just make sure you understand what the terms mean. How Are the Cards Dealt Before the Flop?
Once the Button and Blinds are established, the dealing begins in a clockwise fashion starting with the player directly to the Buttons left. Thus, the first player to receive a card is the Small Blind, followed by the Big Blind, so on and so forth. The last player to receive a card is always the Dealer. How Are the Cards Dealt in Heads-Up?
In heads-up matches, the player in the Big Blind receives the first card. Hand Rankings
With but a few exceptions, every poker game is a battle to make the best five-card hand. Here is a list of the ranking order of all 10 possible hands that one can hold followed by the best starting hands in Texas Holdem. Make sure you memorize these hands as playing the game is impossible otherwise. Best 5-Card Poker Hands Ranked from Highest to Lowest 1.
Royal Flush The best possible hand in poker. With the highest card being an Ace, all five cards must be in numerical order with identical suits. In poker, all suits are equally ranked. 2.
Straight Flush All five cards must be in numerical order with no gaps in between and all of the same suit. Making a straight flush is so rare that most players can remember every single one in their lifetime. 3.
Four of a Kind Any four cards of the same rank, with the fifth card being called the kicker. Another extremely rare hand to achieve. 4.
Full House 3 matching card ranks along with 2 matching card ranks. The example shows Nines full of Aces. When ranking full houses, the cards that matter are the trips, ie. Eights full of twos beats Sevens full of Aces. 5.
Flush Five non-consecutive cards of the same suit. The highest card rank determines the strength of the flush. The example shows a Jack-high flush, which would only be beaten by a Queen-high or better flush. 6.
Straight Five cards that are in the sequence. For the purposes of making a straight, Aces can count as either the highest card or the lowest (technically a one). An Ace to five straight is called The Wheel. 7.
Three of a Kind Commonly called Trips, three of a kind contains any three cards with the same rank. As with other poker hands, in the event of a tie, the highest ranked trips wins. 8.
Two Pair This hand is self-explanatory and consists of two cards with matching rank alongside another two cards of matching rank. If two players have two pair, the highest ranks win, ie, JJ55 beats both TT99 and JJ44. 9.
One Pair A pair is made up of two matching card ranks along with three unrelated side cards. 10.
High Card A hand that does not meet any of the above criteria. The best high card hand possible is AKQJ9. In the event of a tie, the next highest card is used to break the tie. ie. AJ852 beats AJ843. Best Starting Hands In Texas Holdem
Below is a chart of the best 10 starting hands in Holdem. If you do not understand the description at this time, do not worry. Once you start learning strategy things will become clear. If you are a complete beginner, for now just focus on which hands are the strongest and make sure you grasp the order. 1.
Pocket Aces Pocket Aces (AA) are by far the strongest starting hand in Texas holdem. In fact, on average they are greater than a 4 to 1 favorite against other hands. As with any other pair, you will be dealt pocket Aces about once every 221 hands. 2.
Pocket Kings The second-best starting hand in Texas Holdem. For the most part, pocket Kings (KK) plays the same as Aces in that they should never be folded pre-flop except in extremely rare cases. 3.
Pocket Queens Pocket Queens (QQ) is considered a premium hand and should be your third biggest winner as your poker career progresses. 4.
Ace- King Suited Ace-King Suited (AKs) is the best unpaired hand possible in Texas holdem. When all-in there is really only one hand that you should fear running into; AA. AKs is close to even money against most pairs and will even win 1 in 3 times versus pocket Kings! 5.
Pocket Jacks Pocket Jacks (JJ) have a bit of a bad reputation. For some reason, many recreational players just despise this hand. Dont listen to the hype! JJ is a premium holding and will win you a lot of dough over your poker career. 6.
Pocket Tens Over a large sample size, Tens are almost as big a winner for me as Jacks and pretty much equal to Ace-King Offsuit. 7.
Ace-King Offsuit The power of Ace-King Offsuit (AKo) is in that it dominates the other big Ace hands like AQ, AJ, and AT. Also, if it doesnt make top pair, you are guaranteed to always have overcards to the board. AK will make top pair by the river nearly 50 of the time. 8.
Ace-Queen Suited Ace-Queen Suited (AQs) plays similarly to AK. The major difference is that you generally dont mind getting AK all-in before the flop whereas AQ tends to be a big loser if you do so with any regularity. 9.
Pocket Nines You are probably getting the hang of this by now. Pocket nines are one tick below the strength of Tens, as you might expect. Even though 99 is considered by most to be inferior to AQs, I actually always prefer to start with the pair. 10.
Ace-Jack Suited Ace-Jack Suited (AJs) is a mid-strength holding in most situations and should be played accordingly. It can still make a strong top pair hand, a straight, and a flush but is vulnerable to being dominated by AK and AQ.
While raw equity is one way to calculate the top 10 hands, it also helps to consider overall playability before deciding which hands to play. Here is a printable chart that will give you hand rankings based on how well the hands play overall. Poker Actions
When a player does something at the table, its known as an action. There are six possible poker actions that a player can take. He or she can:
Fold
What folding means is that you have decided not to continue playing the current hand. To fold, slide your cards into the middle of the table (face down) and sit back and relax. Online players just have to click the fold button. Once you fold, you cannot win the current hand.
Check
Checking means that you do not wish to bet, but calling is not an option and is most often associated with post-flop play. Before the flop, the only player that can check without calling is the Big Blind, since he or she has already placed the largest bet possible (the big blind).
Call
To call means to exactly match the current largest bet, raise, or reraise. Before the flop, if no one has previously raised, you can call the exact amount of the big blind. This is known as limping.
Bet
Technically, the only time you can bet is after the flop and when no one else has previously bet before the action got to you. Before the flop, any bet is actually a raise of the big blind, which is considered a forced bet (or ante). Any bet must be double the big blind before the flop and equal to the big blind after the flop.
Raise
If you want to commit a higher amount of chips than the current bet, you will need to raise. A raise must at least be equal to the size of the prior bet or raise.
Reraise
During a poker round, when someone has previously raised before you, your only option to making an even bigger bet is to reraise. The rules of reraising work exactly the same as it does for raising. A reraise must at least be equal to the size of the prior bet, raise, or reraise. Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Game What Are The Basic Rules of Gameplay?
Texas Holdem consists of various stages or betting rounds. Each round (or street) continues until the betting round is closed. Make sure you pay close attention to learning the order of play since it is different depending on what stage of the hand you are currently involved in.
This guide will focus on gameplay for 3 or more players. The rules are a bit different for heads-up play but dont worry about that right now. As you gain more experience it will become important to learn how heads-up play works. Pre-flop The First Betting Round
The first betting round occurs immediately after all of the initial hole cards have been distributed to every player at the table. The first player to act pre-flop is the player directly to the left of the Big Blind, usually the under the gun player (UTG). Once he or she has acted, play then moves to the next player to the left. Play then continues clockwise until the big blind has acted.
When pre-flop is over it is time for post-flop. During post-flop, a series of community cards will be turned face up to be matched with each players hole cards. Each player uses the cards on the board to make the best hand they possibly can. How Are the Cards Dealt Post-flop?
On the flop, the dealer deals three community cards. On the turn and river, only one card is dealt per each street for a total of five cards by the end of the hand.
To deal the cards properly on the flop, turn, or river the dealer has to follow the burn and turn rules of the game. First, before the community cards (or card) can be dealt, a single card must be burned. To burn a card basically means to take the first card off the deck and discard it before dealing the flop, turn, or river. One card must be burned per street. The Flop The Second Betting Round
The first post-flop round, or first street, is known as the flop. The flop consists of three community cards that are laid out in the middle of the table. Each player uses his or her two hole cards, matched with the community cards, to make their five-card hand. Based on the flop, each player, in turn, makes a decision on how to play their hand accordingly.
The first player to act after the flop and on all further streets has been dealt is the small blind. Once he or she has acted, play then moves to the next player to the left, the big blind. Play then continues clockwise until the round has been completed. The Turn The Third Betting Round
Unlike the flop, the turn is only one card. Each player now uses their two hole cards along with only three out of the four cards on the board which allow them to make the best hand that they can. Always remember that a poker hand always consists of only 5 cards total.
Again, another round of betting occurs, starting clockwise from the small blind and working around the table. Remember, the button, or player closest to the right of the button, always goes last. The River The Fourth and Final Betting Round
On the river, a fifth and final card is added to the board. Again, each player still involved in the hand matched their hole cards with the best three cards on the board to make the best hand they possibly can.
Once the final betting round is completed, the remaining players still left in the hand expose their hole cards so that the winner can be determined. This is known as the showdown. Showdown Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Play
Showdown is when the hole cards are revealed and the winner is established based on the best five-card hand.
If you are a live player, I recommend always flipping up your hand at showdown and let the dealer or other players help you figure out who has the winning hand. Once you gain more experience, you can learn to start mucking your hand if you know that you have lost. To muck means to leave your cards face down and slide them into the middle of the table. Discarded hands in the middle of the table are known as the muck.
For online players, the process is automated so you dont have to worry about accidentally mucking the best hand.
Below is an example hand played out from pre-flop through to the river. How Can The Action Be Opened or Closed on a Round?
There are two types of actions that can be performed at the poker table: closing actions or opening actions.
Opening Actions
Once someone places an initial bet, raises, or reraises another player, the betting round is said to have been opened or reopened. Once the action has been opened or reopened, all other players still left in the hand are required to act again until play is either closed or reopened again. The actions associated with opening or reopening the action are betting, raising, and reraising.
Closing Actions
A closing action moves play on to the next round or ends the hand. It occurs when no other bets or raises can be made because the final player left to act decides to either fold, check, or call. Therefore, folding, checking, and calling are known as closing actions. Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem The Basics of Betting
Now that you understand how a poker hand is played, lets talk about betting. In poker, betting works a bit different depending on whether its before the flop or after. Pre-Flop Betting
First off, before the flop, two bets have already been technically made before anyone acts. Both the small blind and big blind have already been wagered. Therefore, when the blinds have been posted and all of the cards have been dealt, any bet made is actually referred to as a raise, since you are raising the big blind. The first raise before the flop is often referred to as an opening raise. What Is An Opening Raise?
An opening raise is when a player makes the first bet after the blinds are posted before the flop comes down. If the opening raise is reraised, its known as a 3-bet, since its the third raise being made. 3-Betting 4-Betting
The way 3-betting or 4-betting works is not as complicated as you might imagine. Simply put, the posting of the big blind is the first bet, the opening raise is the second bet, and the reraise of the opening raise is the third bet. This can continue indefinitely until someone doesnt have enough chips to make an additional raise, ie., if you reraise a 3-bet, its called a 4-bet. If you reraise a 4-bet, its called a 5-bet. You get the idea.
Below is an example hand that continues all the way until a 5-bet. Post-Flop Betting
After the flop, the slate is clean and the first wager made on each street is known as a bet. Most players do not use the 3-bet/4-bet nomenclature after the flop as it can get confusing when discussing a hand. Using the term 3-betting, 4-betting, etc. is almost universally associated with pre-flop play only. Instead, the term raise, reraise, and re-reraise are used instead. Its extremely rare that there will ever be an additional raise beyond that since, most of the time, someone would be all-in by the second reraise. Continuation Betting
On every street after the flop, the last person to perform an opening action (bet, raise, or reraise) before the next card is dealt is known to have something called the lead. To have the lead means simply that you were the last aggressor on the prior street. If the player with the lead bets first its known as continuation betting or c-betting. Basically, the term just means that a prior bettor continues betting on the next street. If a person who does not have the lead bets on a post-flop street, its known as taking the lead. Donk Betting
If an out-of-position player does not have the lead and bets into the person with the lead, its sometimes referred to as donk betting. Summary
The beauty of Texas Holdem lies in the simplicity of the basic rules. In a matter of minutes, anyone can understand how to play the game. Even so, that is not entirely where the appeal for the game comes from. The real draw comes from the near-perfect balance of skill and luck that endeavor offers. Theres just enough information known to be able to glean what our opponents are doing, making it a highly skill-based game. On the other hand, there is a definite gambling aspect to the game that gives excitement as you never know enough to fully figure the game out. The bottom line is that Texas Holdem offers a little bit of something for everyone. Whether you are a pure gambler who loves the thrill of big all-ins or a reserved person who enjoys solving the minutiae of the game as a battle of wits. Texas Holdem is the game for you. Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Players Advice On Getting Started as a Beginner Poker Rules What Beats What Texas Holdem Tournaments
If you are a complete beginner, here are a few things I recommend doing before you move on to the next section on strategy. This will make sure that you have a firm foundation on how gameplay works and make learning more advanced concepts much easier.
Memorize the Hand Rankings
Make sure that you have a firm grasp on what beats what in poker. Nothing would hamper your play more than if you got to a showdown and thought that your straight beat a flush. There is nothing wrong with keeping a cheat sheet in front of you while you play until you find that you no longer have to look at it.
Practice At Home
Most everyone owns a deck of cards. If not, you can pick up one really cheaply at any second-hand store. Once you have the deck, sit at a table and pretend there are several other players. Designate the Button and Blind players with some type of marker. A coaster works great for the button and pennies will suffice for the blinds if you dont have any poker chips. Deal out the cards to all of the ghost players and yourself, just as a real dealer would in a casino. At first, I recommend dealing the cards face up. Then deal out a flop, turn, and river and practice ranking each players hand in order from best to worst, based on the cards on the board. (possibly do a video on this at my kitchen table?)
Get Some Play Money Experience
Just to get a feel for how the game plays, I recommend practicing on a poker site that allows play money. The best place to do this is probably at Pokerstars since they have such a high number of players. US players cant play on Pokerstars for real money, but they can play in the play money games. Dont worry about strategy for now. Just play as many hands as possible and get a feel for the mechanics of betting, raising, calling, and folding. Try to see as many showdowns as possible, especially in small pots. Observe what other players are doing and see if you can guess which player has the best hand each time based on the action. Once you have spent a few hours in the play money games, you should be ready to move to the next step in the guide.. learning about strategy! Whats Next?
Once you understand the basic rules of gameplay in Texas Holdem, its time to move to the next stage of your poker development and start learning about strategy. Dont worry, things wont get too complicated for you too quickly. I have purposefully set up this guide to incrementally build upon your poker knowledge and ease you into the game as efficiently as possible. My goal is to first create a firm foundation around the basic fundamentals and then slowly increase your understanding as you play and study.
Keep in mind that this guide is not designed to make you the best player you can be in an hour, day, or even a month. It takes many hundreds of hours of study and play before you can even begin to understand all of the numerous complexities involved in mastering the game. The good news is that its possible to have a lot of fun while learning! So, if you are up to the task and ready to find your best poker game, lets continue.