Well the best winning poker hand you can have is for everyone else to fold like an ass! But if that doesn't happen (and chances are it won't) then best to know what poker hand beats what. Read on for some info...
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Winning Poker Hands
Texas Holdem is a relatively simple game to understand - it's just bloody difficult to win! So it's generally better to know what a winning poker hand looks like! Read on for an idea of which poker hand beats the next...
In ascending order (worst hand first)...
1. High card (no better hand on the table, so the highest card wins).
2. A pair (two cards of the same value, eg two aces).
3. Two pairs.
4. Three of a kind (three cards of the same value).
5. A straight (five cards or any suit that run in an order, eg 5, 6, 7, 8, 9).
6. A flush (five cards of the same suit - they don't need to be in order).
7. A full house (three of a kind + a pair).
8. Four of a kind (four cards of the same value).
9. Royal Flush (10, J, Q, K, A - all the same suit).
Occaisionally you will find that more than one player has the same type of hand - for example, two players have a pair or a flush. In this case the highest card wins.
Examples:
P1 has a pair of 10's. P2 has a pair of Jacks. In this case, P2 would win.
P1 has a flush (2, 3, 7, 8, K). P2 has a flush (4, 5, 10, J, Q). P1 would win - although P2 has higher cards on averages, P1 has a King high flush, whereas P2 only has a Queen high flush).
P1 has two pair, AA, 22. P2 has two pair, QQ, KK. P1 would win - again, although P2 has two high pairs, P1 has the highest pair (Aces).
Where more than one player has exactly the same hand, the remaining cards come into play to decide the winner. So for example:
P1 has AK in the hole. P2 has AQ in the hole. The community cards are - A3679. Both players end up with a pair of Aces, but P1 has the King kicker where P2 only has a Queen, so P1 wins.
It can be the case that no player has a winning poker hand - in this scenario it would be a split pot (a draw where the players split the winnings).
