Online Poker Strategy

All poker hands, even if you are playing a game like Seven Card Stud, consist only of the best five cards available. Sixth cards are never used to break ties. Suits are never used to break ties. After all betting rounds are complete all players remaining in the hand showdown their cards or discard them if they see a better hand has them beat. In order the poker hand rankings are:

Five of a Kind

If a joker or wild cards are used, Five of a Kind is the best hand, with five aces (the four natural Aces plus the joker) is the best possible hand.

Straight Flush

If there is no joker in play, the best possible hand is a Straight Flush: five consecutive cards of the same suit. ("Suits" are spades, hearts, clubs and diamonds.) The highest possible straight flush is a Royal Flush. A Royal Flush includes of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of the same suit.

Four of a Kind

Four cards of the same rank - such as four queens. The fifth card can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as "quads", and in some parts of Europe it is called a "poker", though this term for it is unknown in English. Between two fours of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is higher - so 3-3-3-3-A is beaten by 4-4-4-4-2. It can't happen in standard poker, but if in some other game you need to compare two fours of a kind where the sets of four cards are of the same rank, then the one with the higher fifth card is better.

Full House

This consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank - for example three sevens and two tens (colloquially known as "sevens full" or more specifically "sevens on tens"). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.

Flush

Five cards of the same suit. For example, the Ace, Queen, Nine, Seven and Three of clubs. When comparing flushes, they are ranked from the top card on down. A9732 defeats KQJ85, while a QJ987 flush defeats a QJ983 one. If two flushes have exactly the same cards, like AJ976 of spades versus AJ976 of hearts, this is a tie and a pot would be split.

Straight

Five cards of mixed suits in sequence - for example Q-J-10-9-8. When comparing two sequences, the one with the higher ranking top card is better. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both at once, so A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind is a nice hand. There are two different names for three of a kind hands and it depends on whether you have two of them on the board, or a pair in your hand. They both rank the same but to be a savvy player you should know the difference. If you have a pocket pair and hit one on the flop then it is called a "set". If you have two cards on the flop and only one in your hand then it is called three of a kind.

Two Pair

Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and a kicker of a third rank. For example JJ882. KK332 defeats QQJJ9. 99554 defeats 9933A. 7766A defeats 7766Q. Two hands of the same ranks, like KKQQ5 versus KKQQ5 split the pot.

Pair

One pair is the hand you'll be getting the most and trying to win with the most. Top pair is usually the hand you'll be betting and trying to win some pots with. When more then one person has the same pair, then the "kickers" come in to play.

High Card

Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal too the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.

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