Tips and Rules Explained for Beginners in Poker -II

After the pre flop betting round has concluded, three cards are placed face-up in the middle of the table. This is called the “flop”. All of the cards on the flop are community cards, which means all players still active in the hand can use these cards to make their best five card poker hand.

The betting round on the flop is essentially the same as the action before the flop, with the bets coming in increments of one small bet at a time, except that here the player who was the small blind must act first (as opposed to the player to the left of the big blind, who acted first before the flop) and the player on the button gets to act last.

After the flop betting round has concluded, a fourth community card is turned face-up. This card is called the “turn”. The betting round here mirrors the betting round on the flop, in terms of who must act first and who acts last, except that now the bets have doubled in size. In a $1/$2 game, for example, the bets now come in increments of two dollars.

After the turn action, a fifth community card, called the “river”, is turned face-up. The betting round on the river is exactly the same as the betting round on the turn, with bets coming in increments of two dollars.

This is the last card of the hand. When the river betting round is finished all players still in the hand must turn their hands up, and make their best five card poker hands out of the seven cards available. Texas’hold ‘em is a ‘cards speak’ game, which means the house dealer will declare your hand for you.

THE HIERARCHY OF HANDS

In case you haven’t played any poker before, or just need a review, following is the hierarchy of hands. If you haven’t already, your first task is to MEMORIZE this list. The best hand is a straight-flush, and so on down the list.

(h = hearts, c = clubs, d = diamonds, s = spades, T = 10)

1. Straight-flush.
All five cards are not only of the same suit but they are also in sequential rank.
Example: Ac Kc Qc Jc Tc or 8d 7d 6d 5d 4d

2. Four-of-a-kind
Four of your five cards are of the same rank.
Example: 9c 9d 9s 9h 2h

3. Full-house
Three of your five cards are of the same rank, and the other two are equal each other in rank.
Example: Qh Qs 3s 3h 3d

4. Flush
All five cards are of the same suit.
Example: 2h 7h 9h Jh Ah

5. Straight
All five cards are sequential in rank.
Example: Qd Jh Td 9s 8s

6. Three-of-a-kind
Three of your five cards are of the same rank.
Example: 7h 7d 7s Ah 4d

7. Two Pair
Two cards are equal to each other in rank, and two other cards are also equal to each other in rank.
Example: Kd Kh 3s 3d 8h

8. One Pair
Two cards that are equal each other in rank.
Example: 9h 9d Qs 4h 5d

9. High Card
At least one card in your hand is higher than the highest card in an opponent’s hand.
Example: As 7s 4d 3c 2c beats Kd Js 9h 7c 4h

In the case that two opponents both have a flush, for example, or both have a three-of-a-kind, the player with the higher flush, or higher three-of-a-kind wins. Here are a few examples to consider:

9c 9d 9s 9h 2h beats 4d 4h 4c 4s As

4d 4h 4c 4s As beats 4d 4h 4c 4s Ks

2h 7h 9h Jh Ah beats 2h 7h 9h Jh Kh

Qd Jh Td 9s 8s beats Jh Td 9s 8s 7d

7h 7d 7s Ah 4d beats 7h 7d 7s Jh 4d

Kd Kh 3s 3d 8h beats Qd Qh 3s 3d 8h

Kd Kh 3s 3d 8h beats Kd Kh 3s 3d 7h

That’s basically all there is to it. Because of the community cards, it can often be difficult for beginners to know exactly what they have, and harder still to know when they are tied with another player. But with consistent practice and playing, a beginner can get better.