How to Determine a Winning Poker Hand

Poker can be quite a complicated game and unless you do your homework, it can be hard to know just how good your hand in poker is unless you know the poker hand order. The best poker hand is a royal flush which is a straight from a 10 all the way to an ace that are all in the same suit. It doesn’t matter which suit as all suits are ranked evenly in poker.

Next is the straight flush, which is again a run of numbers in the same suit but the cards don’t have to be from a 10 to an ace, it can consist of any numbers, as long as they are consecutive.

Next in the poker hand value is four of a kind. As the name suggests, it’s four cards of the same rank in one hand.

A full house poker hand is the next most valuable hand and will consist of three cards of the same value with any two cards of the same value such as three aces and two kings.

A flush is any five cards that belong to the same suit and run consecutively.

A straight is a run of consecutively numbered cards that don’t have to be of the same suit. In this hand, an ace can count as either the highest or the lowest value card.

Next is three of a kind where three cards must have the same rank i.e. three fours.

This is followed by a two pair (two cards of the same rank accompanied by another two cards of the same rank) and a one pair (two cards of the same rank).

With the royal flush being the poker highest hand, it’s naturally the hand after which all players are in pursuit. When it comes to show hand poker, if you have a royal flush, chances are you will beat all of the other players.

A Few Tips for Success in Poker

Firstly, don’t be tempted to play every hand. You have the option to fold so take it unless you’re very confident in your hand. You also then get the added bonus of seeing how others play and concentrating on their strategies instead of your own participation.

Another good tip for success in poker is to stay sober! A lot of poker gatherings may well feature a bit of booze but if you’re serious about winning, you’d be better off sticking to the soft drinks. Alcohol may cloud your judgement and convince you to make some bold decisions that you may regret in the morning!

Also remember, don’t just bluff for the sake of it. Bluffing is a valuable skill in poker but is only really valuable when used appropriately. If you’re unsure about when to bluff and when to fold, just watch what others do for a while. This will quickly guide you.

A final valuable tip is to watch everyone else. They will almost all have a ‘tell’ when they are bluffing which is valuable knowledge for later on!