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Mar 08, 2017  Ranking the Poker Hands. The possible winning poker hands are as follows, in order, starting with the best possible hand: Royal Flush: 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace, all of the same suit. Straight Flush: Five cards in consecutive order, all of the same suit, such as 5-6-7-8-9 of clubs. Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, such as four 8s. The number of such hands is 10.4-choose-1^5. The probability is 0.003940. IF YOU MEAN TO EXCLUDE STRAIGHT FLUSHES AND ROYAL FLUSHES (SEE BELOW), the number of such hands is 10.4-choose-1^5 - 36 - 4 = 10200, with probability 0.00392465. A FLUSH Here all 5 cards are from the same suit (they may also be a straight). Non-standard poker hands are hands which are not recognized by official poker rules but are made by house rules.Non-standard hands usually appear in games using wild cards or bugs.Other terms for nonstandard hands are special hands or freak hands.Because the hands are defined by house rules, the composition and ranking of these hands is subject to variation.

The Ranking of the Poker Cards

The Ace is the highest ranking poker card, followed by King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, and 2.

An Ace can also count as a low card to form a straight of Ace-2-3-4-5.

Suits are irrelevant to poker card rankings. A Queen of hearts is equal to a Queen of clubs or any other Queen.

Ranking the Poker Hands

The possible winning poker hands are as follows, in order, starting with the best possible hand:

• Royal Flush: 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace, all of the same suit.
• Straight Flush: Five cards in consecutive order, all of the same suit, such as 5-6-7-8-9 of clubs.
• Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, such as four 8s.
• Full House: Three cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank, such as three 9s and two 6s.
• Flush: Five cards of the same suit, such as five diamonds.
• Straight: Five cards in consecutive order, such as 8-9-10-Jack-Queen.
• Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank, such as three 6s.
• Two Pairs: Two cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank, such as two Jacks and two 4s.
• One Pair: Two cards of the same rank, such as two Jacks.
• High Card: When all else fails, and you don’t have any of the winning poker hands described above, look at the highest card in your hand.

Determining the Winner of the Poker Game

To determine the winner of the poker game, look first at the type of hand each player has and its rank according to the table above. As the table indicates, a flush beats a straight, three of a kind beats a pair, and so on.

If two players have the same type of hand, look next at the rank of the cards within the hand. A straight consisting of 7-8-9-10-Jack beats a straight of 4-5-6-7-8. A pair of Queens beats a pair of 5s. For flushes, the highest-ranking card within the flush determines the winner.

If the hands are still tied, look at the highest-ranking remaining card in the hand. This is called the “kicker.” A pair of 9s with a King kicker beats a pair of 9s with a 10 kicker.

Finally, for High Card hands, the highest card in each hand determines the winner. A King-high hand always beats a Queen-high hand. If the high cards tie, look at the second highest card. If there is still a tie, look at the third highest card to break the tie, and so on. Thus, a hand of King-Jack-8-4-3 beats a hand of King-Jack-7-6-5.

Playing and Winning Poker Online

In some online poker games, like Cyberstud Poker, you have an objective of beating the dealer with a higher ranking poker hand. In others, such as Poker Pursuit, you are simply trying to get the best possible hand according to the payout table. There are some online poker games, like Texas Hold’em, in which you can use the community cards to supplement the cards in your own hand. In the Video Poker games, including Jacks or Better, you can discard the cards you don’t like and try to draw better ones.

All of this variety makes playing online poker interesting and exciting, as every type of online poker game has its own strategy to win. But the core of every online poker game is the poker hands. Once you know the definitions of the hands and their value in the hand-ranking order, you’re well on your way to many fun-filled hours of playing poker online at Allslots Casino. Enjoy, and Good Luck!

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Table Of Contents

One of the simplest variants of poker, and one that is many poker player's first introduction to the game of poker, is 5-Card Draw.

More common in home games than it is in casinos, 5-card draw has been overtaken in the popularity by games such as Texas hold'em and Omaha poker.

But there are still plenty of 5-card draw fans around the world — particularly in the online world where several online poker sites offer cash games and tournaments.

Activate this no deposit offer to play free 5-card draw games on 888poker!

How to Play 5-Card Draw Poker

If you have played any other form of poker, 5-card draw rules are similar in that the aim of the game is to make the best five-card poker hand.

Like Texas hold'em, the poker hand rankings, from weakest to strongest, are as follows:

• High card
• One pair
• Two pair
• Three-of-a-kind
• Straight
• Flush
• Full house
• Four-of-a-kind
• Straight flush
• Royal Flush

Order Of Poker Hands Chart

When it comes to preflop betting, there are two different methods used in 5-card draw.

Either all players pay an ante before receiving their cards (this is more common in home games), or there is a small blind and big blind similar to hold'em and Omaha games (this is the most common on online poker sites and in casinos).

Three different betting structures exist for 5-card draw, too.

You can play 5-card draw poker as:

• Fixed-limit
• Pot-limit
• No-limit

While all three formats play to the same poker rules, the different betting structures mean your strategy needs to be adapted.

For example, some hands that you wouldn't play in fixed-limit 5-card draw become playable in no-limit 5-card draw because in the latter you can bet enough to force your opponent to fold.

Regardless of the betting structure, this is how to play 5-card draw.

Five-Card Draw Basics

Once everyone has paid the ante or the blinds, each player receives five cards face down.

A round of betting then occurs.

If more than one player remains after that first round of betting, there follows a first round of drawing.

Each active player specifies how many cards he or she wishes to discard and replace with new cards from the deck.

If you are happy with your holding and do not want to draw any cards, you 'stand pat.'

Once the drawing round is completed, there is another round of betting.

After that if there is more than one player remaining, a showdown occurs in which the player with the best five-card poker hand wins.

As you can see, the rules for 5-card draw are simple and make for a fast-paced game, which is why the game is popular with new, less experienced players.

Basic 5-Card Draw Strategy

The fact you can learn how to play five-card draw poker in a few minutes doesn't mean that you will not need to practice to go from beginner to pro.

The best way to do that, is to practice online — possibly with some free games. If you have a few minutes to try a game or two, have a look at 888poker.

You can play with a no deposit bonus on signup that you can use to discover 5-card draw poker and master all the basic and advanced strategy tips that follow.

One trap lesser-skilled 5-card draw players often fall into is playing far too many hands, particularly hands drawing to a straight or flush.

In many cases, the saying 'tight is right' applies when it comes to starting hand selection in 5-card draw.

As in games with community cards, your position in relation to the button is also important in 5-card draw poker.

The closer to the button you are, the wider the range of hands you can play profitably.

Regardless of your position, you should almost always enter the pot with a raise because limping in usually results in several other players limping behind, which in turn means you need a much stronger hand to win the pot.

Play tight from early positions and raise with hands such as aces or kings.

As your position improves, you can add other high pairs such as queens, jacks, tens, and nines, so long as the latter has a good kicker to back it up.

Those of you fortunate enough to have been dealt two pair or three-of-a-kind should always come out raising whether you're under the gun or on the button.

Meanwhile be wary of holdings such as four to a straight or flush, because these are hands with which some players bleed away their bankroll.

With one card to come, you're around a 4-to-1 underdog to hit your hand, and often you won't have the correct pot odds to attempt filling your straight or flush, particularly in a short-handed game.

What Should I Discard in 5-Card Draw?

Knowing what cards to discard during the drawing round is what makes and breaks a 5-card poker player.

On a basic level you should consider the following:

The above list is only scratching the surface of what you should draw in 5-card draw. Adhering to it, particularly in low-stakes games, should yield positive results.

Advanced 5-Card Draw Strategy

Once you have a grasp of the basics and are feeling more confident with how to play 5-card draw, you can start applying some more advanced strategies to your game.

There is a large psychological element to 5-card draw thanks in large part to the drawing element of the game.

For example, while it is statistically the best play to draw three cards when you hold a pair, if you always make this play your opponents will be able to read your hand easily and alter their strategy to defeat you.

You need sometimes only to draw to one or two cards with a pair in your hand — or even to stand pat — in order to represent a holding stronger than what you actually have.

Unlike in games such as hold'em, there is rarely any stone cold bluffing in 5-card draw.

Players usually have at least a playable hand when betting even if they are indeed bluffing. This is why it is vitally important to take detailed notes when playing 5-card draw because they are extremely helpful.

Should you make a note that a player only opens with a pair of jacks or stronger on the button, you can easily fold a pair of nines in the blinds instead of calling.

Where Can I Play 5-Card Draw Online

As mentioned at the start of the article, 5-card draw is not a game that enjoys as much popularity as the likes of hold'em, but there are some places where you can play 5-card draw online.

The safest option is to download PokerStars to play some games there.

PokerStars is your best bet for finding both 5-card draw cash games and tournaments at a variety of limits.

It is also possible to hone your skills at the play money tables there and play 5-card draw online poker free of charge with no risk to your bankroll.

^{Photo: Flush Poker Hand - Hearts, Guts Gaming. Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic.}

Poker Hands Ranking 5 Of A Kind

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