Poker combinations Texas Hold'em. Texas Holdem Combos
There are 52 cards in a standard poker deck. The strength of poker cards increases from the lowest 2 (deuce) to A (ace). The suits are equivalent to each other. That is, 6♣ is equal in strength to 6♦.
A poker hand consists of 5 (five) cards. Below are the categories of combinations from the strongest to the weakest. Each strong combination beats all combinations below. For example, four of a kind beats any flush, straight, three of a kind, two pair or lower.
Royal Flush: 10 J Q K A
Five cards in sequence from ten to ace of the same suit. The strongest hand in poker. It is very rare and absolute in strength. Players usually refer to him simply as "Royal".
Straight Flush: 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ 9♠
A combination of five consecutive cards of the same suit. The lowest straight flush starts from an ace (A♠ 2♠ 3♠ 4♠ 5♠ suited). The eldest, in fact, is the Royal Flush.
Kare (Four of a kind): 3♦ 3♦ 3♦ 3♦
Four cards of the same rank. The fifth card is the kicker. This combination is sometimes called "quads", "carriage". The seniority of the four of a kind determines the value of the cards. For example, 4-4-4-4-A beats 3-3-3-3-A. There are situations when there are four common cards on the table - a ready-made four of a kind. In this case, the winner is determined by the kicker (the player with the highest kicker wins).
Full House: 6♣ 6 9♠ 9 9♦
Three and a couple. And in the people it’s just “Ful”. Consists of three cards of the same rank plus two cards of the same rank. For example 6-6-6-T-T. If several players have a full house, then the seniority of the combination is determined by the triple (thrips). For example, 9-9-9-2-2 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the triple is the same, then the seniority is determined by the remaining pair. For example, T-T-T-10-10 beats T-T-T-3-3.
Flash (Flush): 3 5 A K 10
Five cards of the same suit. When determining the seniority of a flush from several players, the highest value card in the flush combination is taken. It is erroneously called by many a flash, but this definition has already taken root among players so much that it is acceptable to use it.
Street (Straight): 4♦ 5 6♣ 7♣ 8♠
Five cards of different suits in sequence. The word itself is translated as "direct, consistent." The youngest street is the so-called " wheel» A-2-3-4-5, the highest is a straight from ten to ace. Note that 2-A-K-Q-J is not a straight.
Set: 4♦ 4♠ 4
Three cards of the same rank plus two unequal cards. Also referred to as a trio. The seniority of a trio is determined by its merit. 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-5. In the case when several players have the same value of three, the winner is determined by the remaining two cards. For example 4-4-4-Q-9 beats 4-4-4-Q-8
Note: it is customary to call a set a three of a kind made up with the participation of both pocket cards, while a three of a kind assembled using one hole card is called a trip (triplet)
Two pairs (Two Pairs): 5 5♠ A♠ A
Two pairs of cards of the same rank and one random card. In the people - "doper". For example A-A-4-4-9 or 2-2-3-3-T. When determining the seniority of two pairs, the combination with the highest pair is the winner, regardless of the value of the second pair. For example, J-J-2-2-4 beats T-T-9-9-8 because a pair of jacks beats a pair of tens. If the top pairs are equal, then the bottom pairs are taken into account. 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K. And finally, if both pairs in combinations are equal, then the highest is the one with the stronger fifth card - the kicker. So, J-J-6-6-8 beats J-J-6-6-4
Pair (Pair): 3♦ 3
A combination with two cards of the same rank plus three unequal cards. When comparing the strength of pairs, they look at the merits of the cards that make up the pair. 6-6-4-3-2 beats 5-5-A-K-Q. If the pairs are the same, they compare by kicker. If the highest kicker is the same, then look at the second kicker and so on. J-J-A-9-3 beats J-J-A-8-7
High Card: A♦
Five cards that do not form any of the combinations listed above. This combination is often called the High Card. All cards in such a hand are of different denominations, not consecutive and not suited. The seniority of such a combination among similar ones is determined high card. If the highest cards are the same, the next in seniority are taken, and so on. For example, A-J-9-5-3 beats A-T-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.
start, of course, with the rules. There are many various variations poker: Omaha, Texas Hold'em, Stud and others.Texas Hold'em is the most popular kind of poker in the world. Therefore, in this article we will analyze the rules of the game in this type of poker.
If we talk about the exact date and place of birth of this game, then it is unlikely that reliable figures and facts can be found anywhere. The most acceptable version is that he came to us from North America (in particular, from Alaska) in the form in which we know him now.
For the first time the rules of Texas Hold'em were approved in 1900 in Texas (Robstown), which actually owes its name. But its popularity really began to gain momentum with the holding of the first tournament in this poker discipline in 1969.
World Poker Tournament (WPT) commentator and poker pro Mike Sexton likes to say: It only takes a minute to learn the rules of Texas Hold'em poker, and a lifetime to become a master.".
How to learn to play poker? Poker is like an onion - you peel back layers of knowledge one by one. As you travel through the world of poker, you never stop learning something new.
How to play Texas Hold'em? Rules
Now we will analyze in detail all the stages of playing poker. You can also learn the combinations and rules of Texas Hold'em with the help of a video from the Poker Academy. Below the video information about the rules of Texas Hold'em poker is described in more detail.
Landing
Hold'em is usually played by nine or ten players. On the figure 1 shows a typical posture for this variant of poker. In this example, there are ten players at the table with the same banks (number of chips).
Picture 1
Dealer chip
Dealer chip, inscribed disc "Dealer" or "D", is a very important part of the game as it shows who is dealing and who is in position "button". Each player will have to visit the dealer once in one round. If you are playing in a casino, then you will have a professional dealer at the table who will deal cards to everyone except himself. However, in this case, the dealer's chip passes in a circle from player to player.
First of all, the cards are dealt to the player to the left of the button, and then clockwise. On the figure 1 Player 1 has the dealer's chip. In the next hand, Player 2 will have it, and then Player 3, and so on. In a company without a professional dealer, players deal cards (are dealers) in turn.
Dealer position (button) is the most favorable in the game. The player in this place makes the last bet, after he has seen what decisions the others have made. The exception is the first round of betting, as the blinds come into play immediately after the dealer.
Blinds ("blind bets")
Before the players receive cards, according to the rules, the two players to the left of the dealer are required to put the so-called blinds– mandatory bets that are made by default in each hand. The player to the left of the button (picture 1) bets half the required bet - small blind. The next player places a full bet - big blind. In our example, the small blind is $1 and the big blind is $2.
Distribution
After the small and big blinds are posted, each player is dealt two cards face down and face down. These are pocket cards. The best starting cards, according to the rules of Texas Hold'em, are two aces. The first round of preflop trading begins.
Continuing to get acquainted with the rules of our favorite game, we come to one of its most important aspects - combinations in Texas Hold'em poker. They collect from five cards and this should be remembered. Next, we'll look at combinations in order from common to rare, or, if you like, from simple to complex.
Perhaps you already know this, or it will become clear after reading this material. But the strength of poker card combinations directly depends on the rarity of their appearance at the table. That is, the smaller the chance to collect a combination, the older, and therefore stronger, it is in the poker hierarchy.
Texas hold'em combinations in order of how often they appear at the table
Here we will review all possible options on the theme of Texas Hold'em card combinations. To simplify the perception of the material and gradually immerse yourself in the atmosphere of poker analytics, we will mark the combinations from frequent to rare:
Sometimes there are situations at the table in which none of the players collects a combination. More precisely, at least the highest card is collected, but if you do not take it into account, then there is no hand. It was for such situations that the highest card was introduced. Comparison of this hand, as you might guess, takes place on the card of the highest denomination. If they are the same, the second in seniority comes into play. Then the third and so on, up to the fifth. texas holdem rules combinations say that the hand consists of five cards, which means that in cases where all the cards used by the players in creating the hand turn out to be the same, the pot is divided equally.
One of the most common combinations at the poker table. The frequency of appearance on the table is more than 50%. It is created from two cards of the same rank (for example, a pair of eights - 88) and three, senior, third-party. The strength of this combination in poker hold'em is estimated by the face value of the cards that made up the pair. In cases where their rank is the same (because there are four cards of any rank in a deck), the face value of the highest of the three auxiliary cards is evaluated.
Such auxiliary cards in poker are called kickers.
An extended version of a pair that includes another card of the same denomination. That is, together these are three cards of the same rank, plus two as kickers. Comparison, as usual, takes place according to the seniority of card denominations. In this case, you will have to resort to kickers only in cases where trips are compared (when the pair is on the table). Since if you have a set (a pair is in your hands - a pocket pair), then there is no chance for identical hands.
Contains both the regular version of the pair and extended to triple. That is, this is one of the options for improving your hand in Texas Hold'em poker. Everyone who has a pair in hand, or who gets two pair on the flop, wants his hand to turn into a full house. This hand is much less likely to occur than a flush or straight, making it much stronger than the latter. Comparison of combinations starts with a three, in case of equality, attention is drawn to a pair. As usual, in case of equality, the bank is divided.
Four cards of the same rank is a pretty rare thing. That is why this combination is so powerful. The second option is to strengthen your hand in poker hold'em. That is, having a pocket pair, the chance is still not high, but not negligible. Comparison, as in the example with a pair, takes place according to the seniority of the face value. The kicker of this combination enters the game only if it falls completely on the table.
The second combination of cards in the Texas Hold'em section, in which the suit is involved. In fact, she is the last one, but more on that later. It consists of five cards, the denominations of which are arranged in order, only unlike a straight, of the same suit. Comparison takes place according to the same principle as in a straight - the highest card in the combination. I said that it is the last of the suit combinations. Because, considered the strongest, Royal Flush (royal flush) is not a separate combination. This is the same straight flush, only the highest possible one (from ten to ace).
Conclusion
Texas hold'em combinations are the very basics that you should know by heart. After all, all other components will not make any sense if you cannot determine the strength of your combination. That is, you can be a superpsychologist or a prodigy in the mathematics of poker, but it will not make any practical sense. It's like not knowing the arrangement in chess and sitting down to play. I hope I have described all the combinations sufficiently and clearly and quite convincingly outlined the need to memorize them. In the future, we will definitely share with you other knowledge in the field of poker. Thank you for your attention.
Natalia Shibanova
Among all types of poker, Texas Hold'em is the most popular. One of the reasons is the accessibility of Texas poker rules even to dummies. This is probably why most poker tournaments in the world are held exactly according to the rules of Texas poker.
In this article, you will learn about the rules of Texas Hold'em poker.
Texas poker - rules: basic nuances
To play Texas Hold'em, a deck with a set of 52 cards is used - from deuces to aces. Up to 10 poker players sit down at the table. The point of the game is to collect the best combination of 5 cards. Each player will receive a maximum of 7 cards from the dealer (two are his own, hidden from everyone, and five are visible to everyone, because the dealer puts them on the table).
Community cards in Texas poker
Before the first distribution of cards takes place, the participants of the game determine the dealer with the help of a round chip called the “button”. It is needed so that the player sitting to his left makes the first bet. The dealer also deals cards when playing at home (in a tournament, this is done by a special person, but in online poker, the deal is automatic).
First, two players making obligatory bets are determined. These bets are called the small blind (SB) and the big blind (BB). This is necessary so that the bank always has capital. Players make “blind bets”: in fact, they have already paid, although the cards have not yet been seen.
So, the first player makes the MB, and to the left of him, the second, respectively, the BB, which is most often twice the small bet. In each subsequent distribution of cards, the dealer is new, i.e. all participants of the tournament alternately become the buttons of the SB and BB for a while.
When the blinds are posted, according to the rules of Texas Hold'em poker, each poker player is dealt face down 2 cards.
The first round of the game is called “preflop”.
Preflop - the first round of the game
It starts with trading, the meaning of which is in the bets on the game, which are made clockwise by all participants in the game. They can do things like:
- fold / pass (discard your cards and exit the hand);
- a check (refusing to bet, but not discarding one's cards) is simply a transfer of the game move;
- bet (bet), which poker players will have to call or fold. You can go all-in i.e. put all the remaining chips (money) - then the player remains on the distribution until it ends;
- call (equalizing the previous player's bet), i.e. the same amount is sent to the bank;
- a raise (raising the bet), which forces the rest of the championship participants to either call the new bet or increase it.
The first round of betting ends when the highest bet in the hand is called.
The second round of betting is called the flop.
Flop - second round of play
The dealer removes the top card from the deck and lays out a 3-card combination (flop) on the table (board). According to the rules of poker in Texas Hold'em, the second round is started by the poker player sitting to the left of the dealer. If a player has completed the “pass”, then the turn goes clockwise to the next one. The applications of the players are similar to those in the 1st round. They only add the opportunity to make a bet (the first to raise rates in this circle) and a check.
The third round of betting is called the turn.
The turn is the third round of the game
The dealer lays out 4 cards from the deck on the board, after which the betting begins. Further, following the rules of Texas Hold'em, the fifth, last, card (river) is laid out.
River - the final round of the game
As a result, each of the tournament participants has 7 cards (2 pocket cards and 5 community cards on the table). The player's task is to collect the best combination.
If two or more poker players have the same card combinations at showdown (showing cards), the player whose card combination includes a kicker (higher card) wins. Kicker is possible in combinations - a pair, 2 pairs, three of a kind (set) or four of a kind. In other poker hands, the kicker rule does not apply.
Read more about poker card combinations in another article on our website “Poker card combinations”.
Texas Hold'em poker rules - video:
Usually consist of 5 cards. Although every Texas Hold'em player has seven cards, only the best five of them will play. There are no combinations of 6 or 7 cards in Texas Hold'em. Thus, the combination Ap Ab Qp Qb 6h 5b 3t c overcomes the combination Kp Kb 9h 9p 7p 7b 2s, although in the 2nd combination there are 3 pairs, and in the 1st - two. It looks like if there were 9p 9w 7b Qp 7r on the table in Texas Hold'em, then the pot is distributed between the players with 4p 4b and 3r 3h, while the player with 2 fours was in front until the river. As a result, both players have a combination of 2 pairs 9p 9h 7b 7t with a lady as a kicker. No player has a higher kicker. None of the pocket pairs of the players brings a higher 5-card combination than those that are on the table.
Watch an instructional video about combinations from one of the best players - Daniel Negreanu:
The winning combinations of Texas Hold'em Poker are listed below, from highest to lowest. Any specified combination takes precedence over any other that is below it in the list. So, any straight flush beats any four of a kind, and any flush beats any straight.
royal flush: Five cards of the same suit in a row. The best straight flush that contains an ace has a special name - royal flush.
No minor straight flush has a unique name.
In a showdown among straight flush players, the combination with the highest card wins: Tk 9k 8k 7k 6k wins 7p 6p 5p 4p 3p.
square: four cards of the same value. Also sometimes called quads.
At the showdown, among those playing with four of a kind, the combination with great value, that is, the ladies defeat the jacks. If several players have the same four of a kind (it happens in Texas hold'em and other poker variants with 4 or more community cards on the table), then the combination with the highest side card (kicker) wins. For example, if there are 4 kings and a triple on the table, one player has a jack, and the other has a ten, the comrade with the jack will win.
full house: in Russian it is a ‘full house’, in which there are - 3 cards of one value plus 2 cards of another value.
At the showdown, among those playing with combinations of a full house, the combination with the highest triplet (three cards of the same value) wins. 8-8-8-4-4 beats 4-4-4-8-8. If a full house with the same triplet is found in several combinations (it happens in and because of the common cards on the table), then the combination with the highest pair wins. Kb Kch Kp Ap At overcomes Kb Kch Kp Qch Qb.
flash: 5 cards of the same suit.
At the showdown, among those who play with combinations of flush, the combination with the highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal, then the next card is compared, if both highest cards are equal, then the 3rd card is compared, and so on. Ach 8h 7h 6h 5h wins Kp Qp Jp 9p 8p, and Jb Tb 9b 8b 4b will overcome Jt Tt 9t 7t 6t.
straight: five cards in a row. Ace can be both the highest card and one.
At the showdown, among those playing with straights, the combination with largest map. Tp 9b 8b 7t 6t wins 8p 7h 6h 5t 4t.
triplet: three cards of the same value. Also called troika or set.
At the showdown, among those playing with a triplet, the combination with the highest value wins. Jh Jt Jp 3b 2t wins Tp Tk Tch Ah Kt. If several combinations have the same triplet (due to the community cards of the table), then the combination with the highest remaining two cards wins. So Jh Jt Jp Ah Kt beats Jh Jt Jb Ach Qb.
two pairs: Two cards of the same value in the company of two cards of a different value.
At the showdown of those playing with 2 pairs, the one with the highest pair wins. So, Ap At 2h 2p 3b wins Kb Kt Qh Qp Jb. At the showdown, players with a matching top pair win the combination with the highest second pair. Tp Tt 8p 8t 4b beats Tch Tb 7p 7h Ab. At the showdown, players with the same two pair wins the combination with the highest side card (that is, the kicker). So, Jch Jb 9h 9b 4h wins Jp Jt 9t 9p 3p.
one pair: Two cards of the same rank.
At the showdown of players with one pair, the combination with the highest pair wins. Ach Ab 5b 4h 3t beats Kch Kb At Qb Jp. At the showdown, players with the same pair wins the combination with the maximum side cards. Jp Jh 9b 8p 4b beats Jt Jb 9h 8t 3p.
single: that is absolutely nothing.
If at the showdown someone does not even have a pair, then the combination with the maximum one or more cards wins. If the higher cards are the same, then the subsequent cards are compared; if both are equal, then the 3rd card is compared, and so on. At 9p 5b 4t 2h wins Kb Qp Jb Tt 8h, and Jh Tt 9h 7t 4b beats Jt Tch 9p 7p 2b.