Poker - Hands

I found myself at a poker table recently; most of the guys around the table were old hands, but there was this one kid who was wet behind the ears to say the least. A few hands in the kid is going head to head with another chap; he calls a high bet and on seeing the other guy's 2 pair he chucks his own cards in. I have a peak at his cards, he had three of a kind - he had beat the other guy, he just hadn't seen what he had! I spoke up for him, but there was no 'cards speak for themselves' at this table - the kid lost.

Frankly, there is no excuse for this to happen; so here it is, it sounds simple I know but here's the cheat-sheet; print it, learn it, keep it with your chips. As much as people may frown on the need for an explanation of poker hands, I frown on the loosing of a pot due to inexperience. Remember that your hand consists of the best of the following that appear in it:

High Card: The highest card in your hand; this is rarely worth betting on.

Pair: Two cards of the same number or picture, e.g. two 2s or two jacks. When more than one player has the same pair the winner is decided by who has the next highest card. This high card decider is called a kicker.

Two Pair: Two sets of two cards of the same number or picture, for example two kings and two 4's.

Three of a kind: Three cards of the same number or picture. There will never be a need for a kicker because a draw is impossible as there are only 4 of each rank in a deck.

Straight: Five cards that follow each other not of the same suite. For example 2 of spades, 3 of hearts, 4 of spades, 5 of diamonds, 6 of diamonds.

Flush: This is 5 cards of the same suit irrelevant of order, for example 2,7,4,jack and 8 of clubs.

Full House: Three of a kind, and a pair combined. So, for example, 6 of spades, 6 of clubs, 6 of diamonds, 3 of diamonds, and 3 of spades.

Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same number or picture, e.g. king of spades, king of diamonds, king of clubs and king of hearts.

Straight Flush: A sequence of 5 consecutive numbers from the same suit, e.g. 4,5,6,7,8 all of clubs.

Royal Flush: From the 10 through to the ace all of one suit. At most tables this is the highest hand possible.

5 of a Kind: Most tables don't accept 5 of a kind, but in a game where wilds are used it is technically possible to have 5 of a kind - 4 of a kind plus the wild.

There they are, now I beg of you, please, go learn, absorb, internalize, be at one with the poker rankings!

Will Win is a professional gambler, ex casino dealer and author. For the best Online Casino Visit www.casino-magic.org