Poker Articles

Online poker is a very challenging game. It has a set of rules that govern its game, and there are set definitions as to what combination of cards are considered to be winning and gives the holder the winning point.

There are a total of 10 combinations in online poker. Called hands, each combination has values that can be lower or higher than the order. That's how the dealer determines who the winner is. He does that by looking at the cards and deciding which hand has the higher value.

Here are the ten hands in online poker that you need to know about, before you start playing:

One Pair. The one pair is set of two cards that are arranged numerically. These numbers should match each other, irregardless of what suit they belong to. For example, in a five-hand card, you hold two jacks and all other numbers cannot be arranged, then your hand is a one-pair.

Two Pairs. This similar to the one-pair, but this time you are holding two pairs of identical numbers. An example would be a pair of Queens, a pair of Tens, and one unpaired number in a five-card hand.

Three of a Kind. Like its name suggests, this hand consists of three identical numbers out of five cards. When playing poker, you would know that your hand is a three of a kind when you hold three aces and two other numbers that cannot be organized into a hand.

Straight. The definition is quite obvious. The straight hand is simply a collection of five cards that can be ordered. They do not need to belong to the same suit in order to qualify as a straight. For example, an ace of spade, a two diamond, a three club, a 4 diamond and 5 heart can be organized into a straight. The highest number is usually appended into the straight, so the above example would be a 5-high straight.

Flush. If you are holding five cards of the same suit, then you are holding a flush. They do not have to be ordered sequentially in order to qualify as such. For example, a King, Jack, five, ace, four and three spades is called a King-high flush in online poker.

Full House. The full house in online poker is a combination of two existing hands: the three of a kind and a one-pair. For example, three King and a pair of fours can be called a full house, Kings full of fours in online poker terminology.

Four of a Kind. This is simply four identical cards out of a five-card hand. Although this is similar to the three lowest hands, it has a way higher value over them.

Straight Flush. This is a variant of the straight that deals with cards arranged in sequential order, but all coming from the same suit.

Royal Flush. This is simply a straight flush that deals with cards valuing 10 until aces. This, however, does not require the cards to belong to a certain suit.

Five-hand Poker. This is simply a set of five cards that cannot be organized into any of the hands described above.