The Hands of Poker
Posted on Monday, August 4, 2008 at 1:30 pmSimple luck of the draw is the majority of the talent behind playing poker. How well the player can read the cards is coupled with the luck of what cards are dealt in order to get a winning hand. In getting that winning hand, knowing all the different hands that can be dealt helps.
Putting together a winning hand is easier if the player knows the different ranks of a hand of poker. There are only nine hands that can be made out of being dealt five cards. The player has a better chance of winning if their hand is higher on the list.
A high card, one pair, two pairs, three of a kind, a flush, a straight, a full house, four of a kind, and a straight flush are the ranks of poker hands. It is redundant to say that a royal straight flush is the highest hand possible since this is just a straight flush with all face cards. Either way, a straight flush is almost impossible to get dealt.
Getting an ace for a high card is easy to do, but winning with just that ace is accomplished easily. The odds of getting a pair in a game such as community poker is just as high as getting an ace. There is a 42% chance of getting a pair in a 52-card deck.
The chances of getting a pair are much higher than those of getting two pair in seven cards. This percentage is just under 2%. The player has to be careful when betting on two pair because the other player might just pull a higher set of pairs.
The chances of getting three of a kind is just about the same as getting two pairs but beats it. It is smart to assume that another player has three of a kind if there is a pair showing in the window. Be careful if the other player beings to bet higher even if you have a good chance of winning.
The ace has a couple of roles it plays in poker. Any other time than getting a straight the ace is the highest of cards, but in a straight it can also be the lowest. When you pull a straight of 5, 4, 3, and 2, the ace acts as though it is a one; coinciding with this, the higher straight makes the ace still the highest card.
The straight is a tricky hand to get; the odds of getting a straight are less than .4%. Many players have lost a round because they had the makings of a straight but lacked an inside card, such as having 7, 8, 10, and a jack and waiting for the window cards to give out a 9. This is usually a losing hand.
To get a flush, the player has only a two tenths of a chance. When the player has five cards of the same suit, such as diamonds or clubs, he has a flush. If the window in a community game of poker has three or more of the same suit it is safe to assume that another player has a flush.
A full house is an exciting hand to draw. This is because it is very rare to pull a full house because there is a less than .15% chance. It is having a set of three of a kind and a pair, which is almost always a winner.
Getting a four of a kind or a straight flush are very tiny chances. Extremely rare, it does still happen. In a community game where everyone can see the available cards, is it important to remember the chances of getting these hands to help a player in betting and bluffing.
