Texas Hold’em – Which Poker Hands Beat Which?

Texas Hold’em is without a doubt the most popular poker game in the world. There’s a lot to learn in poker, but understanding hand rankings is the first step on the long road to becoming a successful player.

It’s not difficult to figure out which poker hands defeat which, but beginners frequently commit mistakes. The most prevalent ones are not knowing if a full house defeats a flush or whether a straight beats three of a kind.

How Do You Make Hands In Texas Hold’em?

Texas Hold’em – Which Poker Hands Beat Which?

To begin the hand in Hold’em, each player is given two face-down cards. Then, across the board, five additional community cards are handed for everyone to utilize.

All players have the option of using all seven available cards to create the finest five-card hand possible. As a result, you can:

Use two cards from your hand and three cards from the community.
Only one of your hole cards should be combined with the four cards on the board.
Only play with the five communal cards.

The cards speak when it’s time for the showdown. You’ll always play the greatest five-card hand available when you flip over your hand.

Normally, there are no issues since the dealer will compare all of the hands and declare the winner.

However, knowing all of the hand rankings before the cards are revealed is the only way to play correctly. So, let’s get started.

Which Hand Beats Which In Hold’em Poker

All high poker versions, including Texas Hold’em, employ a hand rating system. You won’t have to learn anything new if you already know how to play 5 Card Draw or 7 Card Stud.

All of these poker versions have identical hand values.

However, if you’re new to poker and Hold’em is the first variation you’ve learnt, the next section will clear things up.

Texas Hold’em Hand Rankings

A Hold’em hand always consists of five cards, as previously stated. You can’t utilize just four, and you can’t use six or seven at all.

As a result, the values of the hands have been adjusted accordingly:

Royal flush: the best straight flush imaginable, consisting of T J Q K and A of the same suit. In Texas Hold’em, this is the strongest conceivable hand that is guaranteed to win every time.
Straight flush: a sequence of five cards of the same suit, such as 3s 4s 5s 6s 7s.
Four of a kind or quads: four cards of the same rank plus any additional card, for example, Q Q Q Q.
Full house: three of a kind plus a pair, for example, 9 9 9 5
Flush: A five-card straight flush. Clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades are the four suits. You have a flush if all five of your cards are in one of these suits.
Straight: A sequence of five cards that are not all of the same suit, such as 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Keep in mind that in Hold’em, an ace can assist build two straights: A 2 3 4 5 and T J Q K A.
Three of a kind (trips): Three cards of the same rank combined with any two non-paired cards.
Two pairs: two cards of the same rank plus two additional cards of the same rank, for example, 9 9 5 5 J.
One pair: consists of two cards of the same rank and three cards of different values. A pair of kings, for example, is K K 9 5 2.
A high card: A hand with five cards of different ranks and suits that don’t make any of the other combinations is called a high card. A king-high hand, for example, is defined as K, J, 7, 5, 2.

If you’re ever unsure which poker hands beat which, you can always look up the solution on this list.

Comparing Hands In Hold’em To Determine The Winner

You now know all of the hand rankings, which will aid you in determining the majority of scenarios. But things aren’t always so straightforward.

What happens if two or more players have the same type of hand? When everyone has two pairs or a straight, who wins?

The greatest piece of advice for making this distinction is to remember that you always start at the top in Hold’em.

In a pair vs. pair situation, for example, it’s obvious. A pair of aces triumphs over a pair of kings. A pair of tens is better than a pair of eights, and so forth.

When there are two pairs, the top pair is the only one that matters in selecting the winner. If one player has K K 2 2 X and the other has Q Q J J X, the player with the pair of kings takes the game.

For newcomers, this might be perplexing because the opposite hand appears to be stronger, as it would be if card values were included. In Hold’em, however, this is not the case.

When it comes to full houses, the player with the best three-of-a-kind combination always wins the pot.

The winner of a straight or flush is determined by comparing the highest card in the combo.

For example:

3, 4, 5, 6, 7 beats 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
Kh Qh 9h 7h 5h 2h defeats Ah 9h 7h 5h 2h.

Finally, if both players have only a high-card hand (no pair), the one who has the highest card wins.

Of course, this is only true if no other options are available on the board.

Resolving A Tie: The Role Of Kicker In Poker

It happens every now and then when two players are dealt the identical hand. They may, for example, contain two pairs of kings and tens.

This may be very confusing for those who are new to poker.

The rules of Hold’em, on the other hand, are quite explicit about how these scenarios are settled.

Kickers are compared, with the highest kicker winning.

Kickers are the hanging cards in your hand that aren’t part of any combos, for those unfamiliar with poker jargon. For example:

The jack is the kicker card in a hand of K K 7 7 J.
Both 9 and 5 are “kickers” if you have A A A 9 5.

Players would compare their fifth card in our kings and tens scenario. If one player has K K T T 7 and the other has K K T T Q, the pot is split between the two players.

Remember that this rule only applies if a player’s hole card is higher than the community cards available. Remember that during the showdown, you always get to play your top five cards.

To better demonstrate this, below are a few more scenarios with the identical beginning hands but different boards.

Example 1

Player A has a score of 9/8, whereas Player B has a score of 9/7. The board beside the river showed 9 9 5 2 4. Player A wins in this situation because their kicker is active.

Player A’s greatest potential hand is 9 9 9 8 5, whereas Player B’s best hand is 9 9 9 7 5. Player A wins the pot because the eight defeats the seven.

Example 2

Both players start with the identical hands as previously (9 8 vs. 9 7), but the communal board this time reads 9 9 A J 2. In this case, the hand is a tie, and the pot will be shared between the players.

Because both players hold the same best five-card hand (9 9 9 A J), this is the case. Both the 8 and the 7 are ignored since they are lower than the ace and jack.

It may still be a little perplexing at first, but as you play more, you’ll get the feel of it.

When determining which poker hands beat which, bear the following two guidelines in mind:

Always play the greatest five-card hand possible.
Start from the top and work your way down.

You won’t have any trouble deciding out who wins the showdown if you’ve memorized all of the hand rankings and these key guidelines.

Holding The Nuts – When You Know You Can’t Lose

In Texas Hold’em, unlike other poker varieties, you’ll frequently find yourself in situations when you know you have the greatest possible hand.

This is referred to as “the nuts,” and it’s one of the most enjoyable emotions at the table.

Because the game mixes your secret “hole” cards with community cards, this is conceivable. As a result, there is enough data to work with.

You have an ace-high flush and the greatest possible hand if you hold Ah 5h and the board reads 9h 7h 2c 6c Qh. Any other player will be unable to defeat you.

Even though it is a basic idea, beginners are frequently perplexed by it and may play their hand cautiously, even in situations when they cannot lose.

If you’re new at poker, I recommend that you take your time examining the board and considering your options.

You’ll get a lot better at this after some practice, and it’ll become practically second nature to you.

What To Do With This Information

To play the game, you obviously need to know which hands beat which. But, if you know the dealer would always make sure the pot goes to the proper owner, why is this knowledge so important?

The fact is, this principle underpins everything you do at the Hold’em table.

Your judgments will be dependent on your hand’s strength and the projected strength of your opponent’s holdings.

You’ll be less likely to chase your flush draws on a paired board if you know a full house beats a flush.

You’ll know your hand is vulnerable if you have a top pair with a poor kicker, and you should proceed with care.

It goes without saying that you can’t even begin to study more advanced methods unless you’ve mastered these fundamentals.

Hand rankings are at the basis of all poker principles, from the most basic to the most complex.

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