Individuals that desire to play poker must have a good understanding of poker hand rankings. Not knowing which hands give players the best chance of winning or at least provides them with a good chance of taking home the pot, or at least competing for it, will make it difficult for individuals to make good decisions about whether or not to fold, bet or raise.
What to do with Hand Rankings
In cases when an individual has a potentially poor hand, it will be important for them to immediately realize their potential for loss and to fold if necessary. Because each player’s final hand are made up not only of the community cards but also their hole cards, individuals won’t know right away whether or not they should continue to play or fold. A player’s hole cards will be a strong indicator. Individuals with a weak pair will likely need to fold. Those with strong hold cards, conversely, should stay in the game, play fast and aggressively.
Poker Hand Rankings in Order
The highest ranking poker hand is a Royal Flush, followed by a Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of A Kind, Two Pair and One Pair. A Royal Flush will consist of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten. All of the cards will be from the same suite. A straight flush consist of five cards from the same suite in consecutive order, for example 10-9-8-7-6, all Spades.
Composition of Hand Rankings
Four of a Kind is made up of four cards which have the same ranking but are from different suites. A Full House includes a Pair and Three of a Kind. A Flush is made up of five cards that are all from the same suite. A Straight is five cards made up of any variety of suites in consecutive order. A Three of a Kind is made up of three cards with the same picture or number from varying suits. A Two Pair includes two sets of two cards which all display the same picture or number. A Pair is two cards that have the same rank.
Strong poker hands include a pair of Aces, Queens, Kings, Jacks, Ace-Queen, Queen-Jack, Ace-Jack, King-10, King-Jack, Ace-King, Ace-Jack, Ace-Queen and King-Queen. If a person’s hole cards consist of any of these combinations, they have a good chance of being quite competitive.
Learning Your Poker Hand Rankings
Knowing poker hand rankings is vital for persons wishing to play poker. Without recognizing whether a hand is strong or not will directly affect whether or not a person is able to participate successfully in a poker game or tournament. Learning poker hand rankings is very easy to do and is something that every aspiring poker player must learn and commit to memory.
