Best Poker Tips

Hand Rankings & Split Pots

 

First of all, before I can explain what beats what in Texas Hold’em, you have to understand that you are looking to make the best possible combination of five out of seven cards. Because you have two hole cards and five cards on the board, there are a total of seven cards you can use to make your hand. In the examples below, sometimes I will use a five card hand, and sometimes the five card board, plus the two hole cards, depending on the example.

 

I will sum it up from low to high.

 

High Card

You didn’t pair anything; you just have one card that’s higher than your opponent’s highest card.

In this example the Ace is your High Card:

 

One Pair

Say you hold one King as a Hole Card, and another King hits the board. You now have a Pair of Kings.

Sometimes two of the same cards come on the board. In that case everybody has (at least) One Pair. When two players both have the same pair, the Kicker (scroll down for a detailed explanation of how the Kicker works) determines who wins the hand.

 

Two Pair

Suppose your pocket cards are K 7. The Flop reads K 7 5. You have now paired both your King and your 7, so you have Two Pair, Kings and 7’s.

When two players have Two Pair, first the highest pair determines who wins. Example: Player A has made Two Pair with a pair of Kings and a pair of 8’s (KK 88). Player B has also made Two Pair, but with a Pair of Aces and a Pair of 8’s (AA 88). In that case player B wins, because his highest pair is higher than player A’s highest Pair (AA 88 vs. KK 88). If both players have an equal highest pair, the low pair decides. (For instance player A has AA 77 vs. Player B, who has AA 66. Player A wins)

 

Three of a Kind

When you have three of the same cards, it is called Three of a Kind. For instance, you have Pocket Sevens and the Flop comes another 7. You now have Triple 7’s which is Three of a Kind.

If two players have have the same Three of a Kind, the Kicker determines who wins the hand (again scroll down for explanation on the Kicker).

 

Straight

Five consecutive cards of a different suit. For instance 3 4 5 6 7 is a Straight.

An Ace can be used as BOTH the highest, and the lowest card for a Straight. (A 2 3 4 5, or T J Q K A). When more than one player has a Straight, the player with the highest straight wins.

 

Flush

Five cards of the same Suit (Diamonds, Spades, Hearts or Clubs).

When more than one player has a Flush, the player with the highest card that makes the flush wins.

Example: Player A’s pocket cards:

Player B’s pocket cards:

The board reads:

Both players have a Flush, but with the Ace, Player A makes the higher Flush.

 

Full House

Three of a Kind, plus a Pair. Example:

When two players have a Full House, the highest ‘three of a kind’ decides, if both players have the same ‘three of a kind’ the highest ‘pair’ decides. Example:

Beats

 

Subsequently

Beats

 

Four of a kind

The name says it all, four of the same cards. Example:

 

Straight Flush

A Straight with all cards from the same suit.

 

Royal Flush

A Straight Flush with an Ace as high card.

 

 

Okay, the Kicker. To understand this principle you must make a distinction between the five cards on the board, and the five cards which make your hand. As you already know, you have to make the best five card combination out of seven cards (five on the board and two hole cards) to determine the winner. Sometimes two players have the same pair. In that case the three remaining cards come into play.

Say you have

And your opponent has

The board reads:

You and your opponent now both have a pair of Kings. But your hand is:

(The 8 and 2 from the Turn and River don’t play, since you have already made a five card hand, and the lowest two cards don’t count). But your opponent has:

(Same for the 8 and 2). In this case, as you can see, your Queen beats the Jack.

Okay now a different example to make things a bit more complicated.

Say you have

And your opponent has

The board, after the River was dealt, reads:

(same as before). You and your opponent now have a pair of Kings. BUT you have the following hand:

But you opponent also has

In both cases, only the King play’s because both hands are made up from the best five card hand.

As you can see, even though you have a 4 over a 3 as your pocket cards, both of you have the same hand and in this case it is a Split Pot. Split pot means exactly what is says, you divide the pot.

Sometimes the board brings a complete Straight or Flush. In that case, unless someone has a card to make an even higher straight or flush, the pot will also be split.