Learning the poker hands quickly is much easier for some players than it is for others. Some people will tell you one technique, which might work for you, and others will tell you another technique that has worked for them but may not work so well for you.
The best thing to do to learn the winning poker hands in a relatively short period would be to take the time to learn the hand rankings in the correct order and keep referring to them until you have learned them.
It would be best if you only played poker for real money after learning the different poker hands.
Are the Winning Poker Hands the Same in All Types of Poker?
Yes. Whether you are playing video poker alone, live dealer casino hold’em against the dealer, or sit ‘n go Texas Hold’em poker against hundreds of other players at a dedicated poker site or online casino, the winning poker hands are always the same.
The thing to remember in poker is that the highest-valued card is the Ace, which is then followed by the King, Queen, Jack, and 10, all the way down to the 2 (the lowest-valued card).
This same rule can also be used in the other poker hands. For example, a pair of Aces is the highest pair, and a pair of 2s is the lowest-valued pair. Ace-Ace-Ace is the highest three-of-a-kind hand, while a 2-2-2 is the lowest three-of-a-kind hand, and so on.
Which Online Casinos and Poker Sites are Best for Real Money Poker?
Before we reveal the winning poker hands, let’s take a quick look at a couple of trusted websites that are protected by SSL encryption technology where you can enjoy playing poker for real money right now.
If you would like to play online casino poker at a licensed site, one of the most trusted sites you can turn to before signing up anywhere is the official AskGamblers.com website. It has the latest anlysis for over 1,000 top-rated online casino websites.
If you want to play poker for real money after you have learned how to rank poker hands, some of the highest-rated sites are Mr Play Casino, TonyBet Casino, Energy Casino, LeoVegas Casino, Videoslots Casino, Mr Green Casino, Fun Casino, Conquer Casino, Slots Magic Casino, and Casumo Casino.
Others include Trada Casino, PlayFrank Casino, and bet365 Casino, to name just a few. They are all owned and operated by today’s most reputable iGaming companies, and they all have plenty of poker games from some of the world’s best providers.
What are the Winning Poker Hands?
Let’s now look at the winning poker hands, starting with the best possible hand, which is rarely seen, and working our way down to the lowest-valued hand. They are as follows:
Highest-ranked hands:
● The best hand in poker is the elusive Royal Flush. This is a 10-J-Q-K-A of the same suit.
● You then have the Straight flush. This is any five consecutive cards of the same suit, e.g., 6-7-8-9-10 of clubs, or 3-4-5-6-7 of diamonds
● Four-of-a-kind is also a great hand to have. This is four of the same type of card + any other card, e.g., 5-5-5-5-J, or 9-9-9-9-3
● The next highest-ranked hand is the Full house. This occurs more often than you think, and it includes any three-of-a-kind and any other pair, e.g., 4-4-4-K-K, or J-J-J-2-2
Medium-ranked hands:
● Next up is the Flush. This can be any five cards but they must be of the same suit, e.g., 2-3-6-9-Q of clubs, or 5-6-9-J-A of spades as a couple of examples
● You then have a Straight. This is a run of any five cards in consecutive order, which can be a mixture of suits, e.g., 3d-4s-5d-6d-7h, or 6h-7h-8d-9s-10s
● Three-of-a-kind isn’t great, but it could be worse. This can be any three matching cards, and any two other cards, e.g., 4-4-4-J-A, or Q-Q-Q-3-5
Lowest-ranked hands:
● Two pair. This is any two pairs and any other card – e.g., 4-4-9-9-J, or 10-10-8-8-K
● Pair. This is any pair, and any other three cards, e.g., 8-8-J-5-3, or K-K-5-8-A
● A high card may be the worst hand, but you can win more times than you think with a high card. When nobody has any of the hands mentioned above, the highest card determines the winner. Therefore, an Ace high card would beat a King high card
What About the Payouts?
Let’s just say that you’re playing Live Dealer Casino Hold’em from a company called Evolution Gaming from your smartphone. This game has the following ANTE bet payouts.
For a straight or lower card (e.g., straight, three-of-a-kind, two pairs, one pair, or high card), you would receive a 1:1 payout. A flush pays 2:1. A full house pays 3:1. Four of a kind pays 10:1. A straight flush will pay 20:1, and a royal flush will pay 100:1.
Final Note
When you sign up to a licensed online casino to play poker, always remember to set limits and try to stay within your budget. It’s important that you learn the winning hands before playing, and don’t forget that some online casinos have many of their poker games available in the free-play demo mode.
In other words, you might want to practice playing in the demo mode before risking your hard-earned money playing in the real money mode.
