Poker is undoubtedly one of the most popular casino games among gamblers around the world. It involves mind-game tactics, deception and probability calculations to improve the odds of winning. Although the rules and modes of the game might vary with the type of Poker, the hands and their strength never change in the game.
Poker hand rankings can be a little confusing at first when you start playing the game. However, you can learn the rankings of all different Poker hands with a little practice. In fact, regular poker players have all the rankings etched in their mind and they don’t even have to worry about not knowing them during the gameplay. So, if you’re someone who is still trying to know the different poker hands and their rankings, this article will explain everything to you.
Basics of Poker game
The deck – A standard deck of playing cards in poker consists of 52 cards in each of the 4 suits of spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. Each suit contains 13 cards: ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen and King. Sometimes, two wild cards (also called jokers) can be added to the deck.
Chips – A complete basic set of Poker chips used in Poker games or other gambling games usually comprises of white, red, blue, green, and black chips. Larger, high-stakes Poker tournament may use chipsets with many more colours.
Standard Poker hand ranking
A Poker hand is a combination of five cards held by the player. A hand which is ranked higher will beat the hand that is ranked lower and the player with the highest-ranked hands will win the pot at the end of the betting rounds. Below is a list of the various Poker hands ranked from highest to lowest.
Royal flush
The royal flush is possibly the best hand in Poker. It consists of the cards A, K, Q, J, and 10 which all belong to the same suit. If you get a royal flush while playing Poker at Black Spins New Zealand, make sure to make the most out of it. You don’t want to let what could be a once-in-a-lifetime hand go away easily.
Straight flush
In a Poker game that doesn’t involve any wild card, a straight flush is the highest ranked hand that you can possibly have. A straight flush requires all the five cards in numerical sequence and all these cards should belong to the same suit. For instance, 5 of hearts, four of hearts, 3 of hearts, 2 of hearts and Ace of hearts would make a straight flush. Jack of clubs, 10 of clubs, 9 of clubs, 8 of clubs and 7 of clubs is also a straight flush.
It’s important to note that you cannot loop over a straight flush. This means that 4 of diamonds, 3 of diamonds, 2 of diamonds, Ace of diamonds and King of diamonds cannot be considered a straight flush.
Four of a kind
Four of a kind is the second most highly ranked hand in Poker. As the name suggests, the hand comprises of four cards which are all of the same ranks and they will be of different suits. This could be four jacks or four queens, or four kings, or four 10’s. The fifth card can be anything and it is called the kicker.
The four of a kind hands can be further distinguished as one being higher than the other, which depends on the rank of the four cards. For example, 8 of hearts, 8 of diamonds, 8 of clubs and 8 of spades is considered higher than say 5 of clubs, 5 of spades, 5 of diamonds and 5 of hearts as 8 is greater than 5.
Full house
A full house means possessing three cards of one value and a pair of another value. It is the Poker hand which is sometimes also referred to as a boat. A 6 of hearts, 6 of spades, 6 of diamonds, a 7 of clubs and 7 of hearts, for example, is considered a full house. If in case two players get a full house in Poker, the player with the strong three of a kind wins the pot.
If you’re a novice Poker player, understanding the Poker rules in-depth will surely help you play the game efficiently.
Flush
All the five cards are considered in the flush Poker hand. A flush is when you have five different cards that may be of different ranks, but all of them belong to the same suit.
For example, a 7 of hearts, a 3 of hearts, a 5 of hearts, an ace of hearts and a king of hearts will be considered a flush as they all belong to the same suit.
Straight
A straight is another Poker hand wherein the ranks need to be the same. So, if you have a sequence of five cards of different suits, but it is unbroken, you’re holding a straight hand. For example, 10 of diamonds, 9 of hearts, 8 of clubs, 7 of hearts, and 6 of clubs is a straight since the numbers are in sequence though the suits are all mixed up.
Three of a kind
A three of a kind comprises of three cards of the same rank and this Poker hand is also called as a set. The suits can be different in a three of a kind and the other two cards in your hand does not really matter. The best part of a set is that it has a 2 to 1 chance of turning into a full house. So, make sure that you can maximise what you can earn from that kind of a hand while playing Poker in a mobile casino.
Two pair
A two pair is a Poker hand wherein you have one pair of cards that are equal in rank and another pair of cards that is also equal in rank. For instance, assume that you’re holding two A’s, two K’s and a 9. Thanks to the two king cards, you now have a two pair in your hand.
Pair
Two cards of the same rank make a pair in Poker. With the increasing popularity of Poker among online gamblers, you’ll find ‘pair’ as the most common poker hand. Pots are offered to players having the top pair.
High card
If you’re not able to make any of the Poker hand above, the high card hand is there to help you. If two or more players have high cards at the end of the round, the highest card will win the pot.
As you’re now familiar with all the Poker hands, you can easily decide your hand while playing online pokies and other Poker variants at Black Spins. We also offer a variety of casino games with the best odds and bonuses.
Basic online Poker terminology
Here is the basic terminology of online Poker. If you don’t know anything about the gameplay, our how to play Poker guide will help you in understanding the game.
Hole cards
The cards that are dealt face down to the player are hole cards. Two face cards are dealt in Hold’em and in the Omaha variant, four cards face down are dealt with the gambler. Also, you cannot change the hole cards and they must be used with the community cards to form the best possible hand.
Community cards
Community cards are displayed open face at the table and they can be shared by all players to complete their best hand.
Pot amount
The pot amount refers to the total sum of money that the player wagers in the game.
Betting and action in Poker
This is one of the most important parts of Poker. Poker games usually have betting in the form of Big Blind and the Small Blind in Hold’em and Omaha variants. Below are the actions involved in poker.
Bet
Bet is the amount of money that the player wagers on a particular casino game. After a player places a bet, other players must ‘call’ by matching the same amount in order to continue playing.
Call
Call refers to matching the current amount of the bet made by the previous player in the round of betting. Once you call, you accept the highest amount wagered in the round and then your money will be added to the pot amount. In the final round of betting, the pot is won by the player with the best poker hand.
Fold
You can quit the gameplay if you don’t have a good Poker hand. The folding action involves strategy and can either make or break your game.
Raise
A raise is an action that a player can make when confronted by another player’s bet. The raise means to bet over the amount wagered by the previous player. Other players at the table have the option to call or re-raise the bet amount in order to stay in the game. Otherwise, they can fold and quit the gameplay.
Check
A check means that the action passes to the player on our left without us making any wager. Checking is only possible when no one has made a bet in the game.
Re-raise
As the name suggests, re-raise means to make a raise after a previous raise has already been made on the current betting round.
We have covered everything you need to know about Poker hands. As it is very easy to learn Poker, you can win a decent amount of money with a little practice. So, try your hands on different Poker games available at Black Spins and win like a pro!