Starting Hands

1.Royal flush The highest poker hand. It consists of AKQJT all in the same suit. As all suits are equal, all royal flushes are equal.

2.Straight flush Five cards of the same suit in sequence, such as 76543 of hearts. The ace can play low to make 5432A, the lowest straight flush.

3.Four of a kind Four cards of the same rank accompanied by a “kicker”, like 44442. Ranked by the quads, so that 44442 beats 3333K.

4.Full house Three cards of one rank accompanied by two of another, such as 777JJ. Ranked by the trips, so that 44422 beats 333AA.

5.Flush Five cards of the same suit, such as AJ942 of hearts. Ranked by the top card, and then by the next card, so that AJ942 beats AJ876.

6.Straight Five cards in sequence, such as 76543. The ace plays either high or low, making AKQJT and 5432A.

7.Three of a kind Three cards of the same rank and two kickers of different ranks, such as KKK84. Ranked by the trips, so that KKK84 beats QQQAK, but QQQAK beats QQQA7.

8.Two pair Two cards of one rank, two cards of another rank and a kicker of a third rank, such as KK449. Ranked by the top pair, then the bottom pair and finally the kicker, so that KK449 beats any of QQJJA, KK22Q, and KK445.

9.One pair Two cards of one rank accompanied by three kickers of different ranks, such as AAK53. Ranked by the pair, followed by each kicker in turn, so that AAK53 beats AAK52.

10.High card Any hand that does not qualify as one of the better hands above, such as KJ542 of mixed suits. Ranked by the top card, then the second card and so on, as for flushes.

Suits are not used to break ties, nor are cards beyond the fifth; only the best five cards in each hand are used in the comparison. In the case of a tie, the pot is split equally among the winning hands.

nh – Nice hand
vnh – Very nice hand
gg – Good going
lol – Laugh out loud
ty – Thank you
wp – Well played

Flush (all cards in the same suit):
If you hold a four to a flush, the chance of making the flush, either on the turn or the river, is 35.0%.

Open-ended Straight (e.g. 5678 where you need a 4 or a 9):
The chance of making a straight, either on the turn or the river, is 31.5%.

Inside Straight (e.g. 4578 where you need a 6):
The chance of making an inside straight, either on the turn or the river, is 16.5%.

Trips (three of a kind):
The chance of making trips with a flopped pair, either on the turn or the river, is 8.4%.

Your two pocket cards, or hole cards, are the only factors that separate your hand from the other players’ hands. So learning how to play them is vital. An AA (ace-ace) combo simply has a much greater chance of winning than say a 7-3 combo. Play the good starting hands. Fold the bad. Combinations can however change between good and bad (and back) according to your position in the game. See “Position Play” below.

Top 20 Best Starting Hands

1. AA	11. ATs
2. KK	12. KJs
3. QQ	13. AQ
4. JJ	14. 99
5. AKs	15. QJs
6. TT	16. KTs
7. AQs	17. 88
8. AJs	18. QTs
9. AK	19. A9s
10. KQs	20. AJ

The “s” means suited, both cards in the same suit, always better than unsuited.

In a poker game being seated in “late position” is a huge advantage. In this position you get to see your opponents make their moves before you make yours. To become a good player one must learn to take full advantage of playing in late position.

No matter the betting round, if you have nothing and can’t draw to anything, fold faster than Superman on laundry day, if you don’t feel like bluffing of course!