Poker Bonus

Almost every form of poker is played with a standard 52 card deck with jokers removed.  If you are new to the game of poker and card games in general, then it is a good idea to review some basics of playing poker.  First, cards start in rank from 2 and go all the way up to the ace.  In some poker games, an ace can play either high or low, but for the sake of simplicity, we will treat the ace as high only. 

In most poker games, there are 10 possible hand types that you can make.  We will review these starting with the lowest and working up to the highest.

High Card

The worst type of hand that you can have is referred to as high card only.  When you have a random five card hand that is not paired, a straight, or a flush, you have a high card only hand.  The highest high card only hand is ace high.  The worst high card only hand is 7 high. 

Pair

The next hand is a pair.  A pair consists of two cards of the same rank in your hand.  The lowest pair is a pair of deuces and the highest pair is aces.  In the event two players have the same pair, the person with the highest card in their remaining three cards is the winner.

Two Pair

Two pair is your next best possible hand.  In the event two players have two pair, the player with the highest pair wins the hand.  If by chance the players both have the same high pair, the highest second pair wins.  In the rare case that both players have the same two pair, the person with the highest fifth card wins.  A split pot occurs in the event both players have the same two pair and the same kicker.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind is the next highest hand you can make.  This is also referred to as trips.  With the exception of Omaha Poker and Holdem, two players cannot tie on three of a kind.  In the cases of Omaha and Holdem Poker, if two players tie on their trips, the player with the best kicker wins the hand.

Straight

A straight is a five card hand in sequence but not suited.  2-3-4-5-6 is a straight.  8-9-10-J-Q is also a straight.  For straights, the ace can play high or low.  It can complete the wheel (A-2-3-4-5) or broadway (10-J-Q-K-A).   Straights do not wrap so you cannot form a hand such as Q-K-A-2-3.  In the event two players have a straight, the player with the highest card in their straight wins.  If they have the same straight, it is a split pot. 

Flush

A flush is a five card hand where each card is of the same suit, but not in sequence.  An example would be a hand containing five hearts, or five spades.  In the event that two players have a flush, the player with the highest card in their hand wins the hand.  If their high cards match, then you go to the next highest card, etc. 

Full House

A full house is a five card hand containing a pair and a separate three of a kind.  An example would be A-A-A-K-K.  This hand is typically referred to as a full boat.  If two players have a full house, then the highest three of a kind determines the winner.  In the cases of Omaha and Holdem if the three of a kind is tied, then the pair determines the winner.  If both full houses are identical in Omaha or Holdem, the pot is split.

Four of a Kind

Four of a kind is a hand with all four of a particular rank, such as four kings.  This hand is also referred to as quads.  If the rare situation arises with two players holding four of a kind, then the player with the higher ranking four of a kind wins.  Two players can never have the same four of a kind with the exception of texas holdem.  In the case that there are quads on the board in texas holdem, then the player with the highest kicker wins.  Otherwise, it is a split pot.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is a hand of five cards that are both sequenced and suited.  An example would be 5-6-7-8-9 of spades.  In the event two players have a straight flush, then the hand with the highest card wins.  Otherwise, the hand is a split pot. 

Royal Flush

The royal flush is the top ranking poker hand.  The royal flush is the 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit.  If two players hold a royal flush, take a picture, and then split the pot. 

There are times where the rank of a suit will matter in a poker game.  These are typically games such as stud where the lowest card is forced to open betting.  When a situation like this occurs and the cards tie, the tie is broken by determining the lowest suit.  Suit ranks are alphabetical.  The rankings are clubs, followed by diamonds, followed by heats, and then spades. 

There are occasions your will run across poker games that use wild cards.  Wild cards are cards that can be used to make any card and suit that you need to complete a hand.  Jokers are the most common form of wild card, but there are also games where a player will call out a wild card using a particular rank.  The most common ranked wild card is the deuce.  If you have a deuce in your hand, you can make it any card you wish.  When you play poker with wild cards, you take a lot of skill out of the game and luck becomes a greater factor. 

Also, there is one additional hand ranking with wild cards.  The highest hand in a wild card game is five of a kind.  If two players have five of a kind, the higher five of a kind wins the hand.  Depending on the number of wild cards, more than one player can have the same five of a kind.  In this case, the pot is split.