The game Texas Hold’em is one the easiest games in poker to learn. In fact, wannabe poker careerists are advised to learn the ropes of this game first, before advancing to other games. Due to its simplicity, you can learn it from the scores of online help sites available on the web, including this site, and get going on the high road to fun and success.
As in any other game or field of endeavor, the primary step should be to come to grips with the basic terminology of the game, and understand the fundamental rules. The game is played with a deck of 52 cards, with a pair of so-called “private” cards that are dealt to the players individually, and another set of three to five cards that are kept open, to be shared with the others. Each player is finally dealt five cards in all, and in some Texas Hold’em variations, they are dealt with seven cards. Which player in the end has cards with the highest rank or strength, is determined by the relative strengths of the combinations. Seniors of poker have arrived at these relative strengths through observations and empirical data, so the combination with the highest strength is rarest of the rare to achieve, while the combination with the most diluted strength is something that you and I get dealt with routinely. What these combinations are, and how they are ranked is what we shall see, in a moment.
The 52-card deck has four colors or “suits” – Hearts – denoted by H, Clubs – denoted by C, Spades – denoted by S and Diamonds – denoted by D. These suits are on an even keel, meaning that no suit is superior over the others. Within a suit however, the Ace (numero uno - A) gets the crown importance. This is followed by the King (K), the Queen (Q) and the Jack (J) figured cards, and the ranks descend further from 10 to 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, and 3, with 2 taking the bottom of the totem pole.
Five of a Kind
The highest honor of combination strength is reserved for “Five of a kind”. This implies that all the five cards in your hands are of the same kind, such as five aces, or five nines, or five twos. Obviously, this is possible only when there are “wild” cards thrown into the deck of 52. When the cards are shuffled, and you succeed in achieving this combination, well, congratulations! You must count yourself as one of the very rare human beings on this planet earth to have been dealt thus, in all the centuries gone by and all the centuries to come ahead! O lord of poker, we bow to Thee!
Royal Flush
The sequence “A-K-Q-J-T” puts you in the top of the league in terms of rare honors. This particular hand is known as “Royal Flush” – truly royal!
Straight Flush
Next is the “straight flush”. This is having cards in an ordinal series, that is, they are consecutively numbered, and belong to the same suit. Examples of straight flush include 2-3-4-5-6, or A-K-Q-J-T, or A-2-3-4-5, or 4-5-6-7-8. An Ace in a wrap around is not acceptable. For example, a K-A-2-3-4 will simply not do.
Four of a Kind
The “four of a kind” consists of four cards that are all the same. For example, K-K-K-K-3 qualifies as a four of a kind.
Full House
The next ranking is the Full House. This combination has three cards of a kind, plus a pair. For example, a Q-Q-Q-4-4 qualifies for a full house. Just in case two players happen to have their own full houses, then the one with the higher ranked combination, has the edge. For instance, if you have J-J-J-2-2, and I have 4-4-4-A-A, then you have the upper hand.
Flush
The combination next in decreasing strength is the Flush. This is where all the five cards are of the same suit. There is no ordinality or consecutiveness in the cards, unlike a Straight Flush. An instance of a flush is 2H-6H-9H-JH-10H. The sequence we described above - K-A-2-3-4 – if belonging to the suit, will disqualify for a straight flush, but will qualify for a flush.
Straight
A simple “Straight” is a combination of cards ordinally arranged, but they are not of the same suit. A plain sequence of 4H-5D-6C-7C-8S is a “Straight”. If two players manage to achieve the same value, say 2-3-4-5-6 versus 2-3-4-5-6, then the pot is split between them.
Three of a Kind
You would have begun to discern the pattern by now. There is a logical thinking process that goes behind these relative strength rankings; once you have grasped the process, it becomes quite easy to decide who stands where in any deal at any stage. Continuing with the ranking, “Three of a Kind” is the next in line of strength, where three cards - of any rank – and the other two not being a pair, come into the picture. If the other two were a pair, then it would be a full house, right? For example, J-J-J-4-7 gets this particular ranking.
Two Pair
“Two Pair” ranking involves two distinct pairs of a card, and some other, fifth card. For example, a 5-5-3-3-9 is a two-pair case.
One Pair
This is followed closely by a “single pair” ranking, with only one pair with three distinct cards. A 6-6-2-7-9 hand is a single pair case.
Usually, learning these relative rankings involves some practice and some self-study. Perhaps, whenever you are alone and have some spare time, randomly pick up five cards from a well-shuffled deck and placing them before you, and try to determine the name that you could give to the combination that has come up. After about fifteen to twenty such exercises, you will have mastered the first step. Next, randomly pick up two or three sets of five cards from the deck. Place them on the table in distinct groups; now rank the sets based on their relative strength.
The next time you sit with your friends, dazzle them with your new-found knowledge of who gets the higher ranks. See their jaws drop, and turn green with envy!