When starting out in poker, it is important to be familiar with the different poker hands. Knowing what are good starting poker hands will help you make better decisions when playing.
There are five different types of hands in poker: a pair, a flush, a straight, a full house, and a flush or straight draw. Knowing which hand is best suited for your current situation can help you win more money.
The most common hand in poker is a pair of cards, which consists of two cards of the same rank. A pair is usually the best hand to hold because it gives the player two chances to make a winning hand.
If the player has a pair of kings, for example, they can either use one of the kings to make another pair or discard one of the kings and draw another card to continue their hand.
A second common hand is a flush. A flush consists of five cards of the same suit, such as four queens and a king.
Flushes are usually not as good as pairs because they do not give the player any extra chances to make a winning hand.
Straights are made up of five cards that are not consecutive (two 2s, three 3s, four 4s, and one 5). Straights are usually not as good as pairs or flushes because they do not give the player any extra chances to make a winning hand.
A full house is made up of three cards of the same rank and two cards that are not in sequence (for example, an Ace followed by a 2 or 3). Full houses are usually considered better than straights because they give the player more chances to make a winning hand.
The last type of hand is called a flush or straight draw. These hands consist of one card from each category (flush and straight), which is rare but possible.
Flushes and straights are usually not as good as full houses because they do not give the player any extra chances to make a winning hand.
