Perhaps the most basic part of learning how to play poker is knowing what hand beats what. It may seem simple, but these lessons are the building blocks to becoming a great poker player, so read ahead on LaunchPoker this month to learn these fundamental rules. First, we will outline the hands in order of what beats what, then we will give you poker tips regarding how to play each hand.
In a poker world where Texas Hold’em rules the roost, the basic hands listed below will apply absolutely. Games with a hi-lo aspect (such as Omaha poker) are a bit different, but the basics listed below generally are still relevant when calculating the “high” part.
Below is a list of the top five-card poker hands, from the very best to the very worst. Of course, this assumes that no jokers or wild cards are used when you play poker.
What Beats What In Poker:
1. Royal Straight Flush: As rare as it is to find yourself holding one of these, it is still imperative that you recognize that, if you hold a royal straight flush, you will win with it.
Example: 10-J-Q-K-A, all in hearts.
2. Straight Flush: Any five cards in the same suit. Example: 3-4-5-6-7, all in clubs.
3. Four of a Kind: Also quite rare, four of the same card is the next best hand. Example: 9-9-9-9-A.
4. Full House: This hand is made up of three of a kind and a pair. Example: K-K-K-3-3.
5. Flush: Five cards that are all in the same suit, but not in any order. Example: 5-A-7-10-Q, all in spades.
6. Straight: Five cards in a row, but not all in the same suit. Example: 5-6-7-8-9.
7. Three of a Kind: Three cards that are the same number or rank. Example: 8-8-8-A-5.
8. Two Pair: Two pairs of cards of the same number or rank. Example: 6-6-J-J-4.
9. One Pair: The same as above, but only one pair of the same number or rank. Example: Q-Q-5-8-10.
10. High Card: If no one has any of the poker hands listed above, then the player holding the highest card is the winner. Example: A-2-5-K-9.
Texas Hold’em is a game that takes five minutes to learn, and years to perfect (Omaha poker probably takes ten minutes to learn). The poker hand rankings above will give a new poker player a base from which to learn all the games. From here we will provide poker tips on how to play the various hands. While one hand appears to beat another, it is far from that cut and dried. Of course it is the paradox between the simplicity of how to play the game and complexity of how the game is played that keeps us interested.
