Poker Hand Rankings help players compare and recognize strong and weak hands when participating in betting against many other opponents at casinos or online bookmakers.
However, the method of ranking hands and calculating scores in this European card game is very special and completely different from traditional Vietnamese card games.
To avoid making serious mistakes that could lead to losses, you need to quickly pocket the following basic knowledge.
A Brief Overview of Poker
Poker is a famous card game of skill played worldwide with many different versions but still retains its distinctive characteristics.
When exploring the origins and history of the game, there is no official answer as Poker appeared simultaneously in various countries around the world.
Currently, in addition to playing card games at professional casinos, you can also visit online betting halls provided by online bookmakers to experience and challenge yourself.
Detailed Poker Rules for Beginners
Poker is interesting not by chance but also due to its exciting rules, which extend over many rounds, making the atmosphere more intense and thrilling than ever.
Each Poker game can include many players (from 4 to 10 depending on the conditions), and a match is also divided into different betting rounds, creating great opportunities for players to compete.
Specifically, a Poker game proceeds as follows:
- Players are dealt 2 private hole cards by the dealer; depending on the strength of the cards, you can choose to bet to continue playing or fold.
- In the next round, the dealer deals 3 community cards on the betting table for all players to see; based on the strength of the cards when combined, you will decide to bet, fold, or just check.
- Rounds 3 and 4 proceed similarly, but at this point, only 1 community card is revealed in each round.
- Thus, after 4 rounds, players must combine their 2 hole cards with the 5 community cards to form the strongest 5-card hand and compare scores with each other.
Poker Hand Rankings: Detailed Comparison of Hands
Through the rules of play and the betting rounds shared above, you surely understand the importance of hand rankings in Poker.
In reality, this is the most challenging knowledge, easily causing confusion, leading many players to decide to stop after a few experiences.
To better understand what constitutes a strong hand and what constitutes a weak hand, you need to know the following information:
Royal Flush – The Strongest Hand
Is the player holding the 5 strongest cards: 10, J, Q, K, A
Straight Flush – The Strong Hand Ranking in Poker
A Straight Flush is the best hand combination when playing Texas Hold’em. It consists of 5 cards: 10 – J – Q – K – Ace of the same suit.
If you have this hand, you don’t need to worry about failure because no matter how you play, you will win or at worst, tie.
Four of a Kind – Order of Suits in Poker
As the name suggests, four of a kind means the player has 4 cards of the same rank among the total 5 cards in the hand.
If both players have four of a kind, the one with the higher set wins.
Full House
A full house is a special hand where the player simultaneously has a three of a kind + a pair.
The sets do not need to be of the same suit or consecutive.
Flush
The 5th strongest hand you often encounter when playing Poker is nothing other than a flush.
Specifically, the player has 5 cards in the hand that are all of the same suit, considered a flush.
Note: If they are of the same suit and consecutive, the flush will become a straight flush.
Straight
Compared to a flush, a straight is much easier to encounter because the cards only need to be consecutive and do not have to be of the same suit.
For example, the hand: 7♠️ – 8♣️ – 9♣️ – 10♠️ – J♦️ is still considered a straight.
Three of a Kind
Three of a kind refers to a hand that has 3 cards of the same rank along with 2 other cards that are not of the same rank.
Generally, this hand is not very strong, but if it appears, it still brings hope for the player to win money.
Two Pair
Similarly, we have the hand of two pair appearing when the player has 2 pairs among their 5 strongest cards.
The pairs are taken randomly without needing to be in order or of the same suit.
One Pair
If you only have one pair, your hand ranks lower than all other Poker hands.
An example of a pair that a player might encounter is: 8♦️ – 8♣️ – 5 – 6 – 9
High Card
Finally, when your hand does not fall into any of the above cases, it is called a Mậu thầu.
Players will only take the 5 highest cards in the hand to create a hand to compare with the opponent.
In the case that another player also has a Mậu thầu, the one with the highest card wins.
Summary of the strongest poker hands
When playing Texas Hold’em, the two hole cards that players receive from the dealer at the start are very important.
Depending on the strength of these two cards, the decision to continue playing, stop playing, or play to probe the opponent will be made quickly.
To avoid players having difficulty in making choices, I will reveal the TOP 6 strongest hands that guarantee a win that every poker expert wants to have:
1. Pair of Aces – The strongest hands in Poker
A Pair of Aces is considered the best hand that can appear at Pre Flop, offering an 80% chance of winning for the holder.
Most players who encounter this hand are eager to go all-in against their opponents to win a huge prize.
A♣ A♥
2. Pair of Kings
A Pair of Kings is not a weak hand in Texas Hold’em as only a rare Pair of Aces can compete against it.
Even though you can spend aggressively, don’t forget to consider the case where the opponent only has one Ace but can still win with a 33% probability.
K♥ K♥
3. Pair of Queens
Most opponents are forced to “pay” to the player holding a Pair of Queens because this is truly a beautiful hand with high value in the game.
In comparison, a Pair of Queens only loses to a Pair of Kings and a Pair of Aces.
Q♥ Q♣
4. Ace-King Suited
The Ace-King hand dealt in Pre Flop has a huge appeal to players, especially beginners who lack experience.
It cannot be denied that this suited hand offers quite a few opportunities for players to get rich, however, if you don’t hit any cards on the flop, consider folding.
A♥ K♥
5. Pair of Jacks
Theoretically, a Pair of Jacks is also a relatively strong hand, offering a winning probability of up to 50% for the player.
However, in reality, this hand often causes players to have headaches as most fail when trying to call to the end.
If you hold a Pair of Jacks at the end of the round and no one has bet before, then this is truly a good opportunity.
J♥ J♣
6. Pair of Tens
A pair of 10s may not be the best hand, but it is still strong enough to start with and can lead to a winning outcome for the player.
There have been many instances where a player with a pair of 10s has defeated a pair of AK or KQ, which can be quite surprising.
However, when previous players act too aggressively, don’t hesitate to fold to preserve your capital.
10♥ 10♣
Conclusion
Poker hand rankings are not as complicated as many players mistakenly believe, but to avoid making mistakes, you need to practice regularly and observe real betting games every day.
Although reputable online poker platforms always assist players in calculating and determining wins and losses, you should never be complacent and overlook this skill to place accurate bets.
Check out more great betting tips and interesting knowledge from the world’s top players with Vietnamese Poker books.
