Poker hand rankings
plus poker no-no's
and poker problems
A beginner's guide to poker hand rankings,
important poker No-No's to be aware of,
poker problems to watch out for
...oh, and answers to your latest poker questions!
HAND RANKINGS
With thousands of new players taking up online poker every hour, the most consistent question asked is about hand rankings. On the page today we’ve set out visually all of the important poker hands and the approximate odds of landing those hands. Cut it out and keep it, as it will settle any rows that develop over who’s won a hand during those early games as you begin your poker career.
FREQUENTLY ASKED POKER QUESTIONS Q: What happens if I’m playing online poker with nine other people at a table and I need to go the bathroom? A: All sites have a “sit-out” button for you to hit at the end of any given hand. If you hit the “sit out” button your hand will be folded until you return. Poker respects nature but if you’re thinking of going into the kind of seven hour marathons you’ll encounter at the World Series, bladder control is worth working on.
Q: I’ve just about learned Texas Hold’em. What’s the appeal in moving on to Omaha? A: In a nutshell, Omaha will give you more premium hands and usually larger pots which is why professionals love the game. But it’s a whole different animal. It’s much easier to land more powerful hands because you have more cards to choose from but the same goes for the opposition, so do a tutorial before you dive in or you’ll get yourself hurt.
POKER NO-NO’S As a beginner, there are certain things you just don’t do in poker that are worth taking on board.
1) Don’t act like Matt Damon and toss your chips into the table centre. It’s rude and it’s wrong. Place bets neatly.
2) Switch off your mobile while you’re playing. Nothing is more crude than holding up a game with your personal chatter.
3) Never fold or bet until the action is with you. People will think you’re an oaf or amateur or both. Uncool.
4) Winning at poker is not like being voted through to the next round on “X-Factor”. Don’t hoot and holler. Be gracious and restrained, unless you win in excess of a million.
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A FUN TUTORIAL: Poker Problems Just for some fun, let’s see how your game is developing. We’ll pose a few problems and give our answers at the foot of the column to see if you agree.
PROBLEM 1: You’re on the button with king of spades and king of hearts. The two players ahead of you limp in and you raise five times the big blind. All the opposition fold except the big blind who calls your raise. King of diamonds-six of diamonds and nine of diamonds come from the flop and the big blind checks. What do you do?
1) Do you check?
2) Go all-in?
3) Try a modest raise?
4) Or crash in with a big raise?
PROBLEM 2: You’re the big blind with ten of hearts and eight of hearts. The dealer and the small blind call and you check. Ten of diamonds-ace of hearts and seven of hearts are produced by the flop. The dealer goes all-in for fifteen times the big blind and the small blind folds. Your stack amounts to forty times the big blind. Would it be the wise play to “call”?
ANSWERS TO PROBLEMS
PROBLEM 1: The flop looks troublesome for someone with three of a kind. You certainly shouldn’t go all-in and get snared. You need information because any flush will defeat you and it’s looking likely it could be out there with an all-diamond board. You have to make a powerful raise. This makes it costly and risky for your opponent to call on a small diamond draw. Your opponent may call despite your raise and your hope will be no more diamonds arrive at the turn or the river. However, you have the extra upside of potentially pairing the board, giving you a premium hand.
PROBLEM 2: It would be unwise to call in our view. You’re four to the flush holding a middle pair, giving you about fourteen outs. There’s eighteen times the big blind in the pot and you’d need to call fifteen times the big blind to play. It’s an unwise play because of the pot odds. Your chances of winning are only thirty percent. An aggressive gambler will however often take those odds and plough ahead. Gutsy but not wise.
Use your poker hand rankings online at:DailyStarPoker.com
POKER JOKER
Bert and Fred are having their usual weekly game of poker when Bert’s obese 20 stone wife comes in with tea and cream cakes.
After she’s left the room, Bert says.
“Poor, Edna. She’s got diarrhoea.”
“What are you giving her for it?” enquires Fred.
“Plenty of room!” replies Bert.
ALL THE ACES poker column:
Sunday, October 16, 2005: Poker hand rankings, plus poker No-No's and poker problems
