Texas Holdem Straight King Ace Two
Occasionally, someone will ask me if Poker and Texas Hold’em are the same thing. I’ve been a professional poker player for years and am happy to explain the differences between various card games.
What is the difference between Poker and Texas Hold’em? Poker and Texas Hold’em are not the same thing. Texas Hold’em is a community card game, one of the thre variations of poker. Other variants include Stud and Draw Poker. All poker games are played by two or more players who compete to try and make the best hand by using a defined hand ranking system.
In Texas Holdem poker, each player is dealt two cards from a standard deck of 52 playing cards. What is the group of all the symmetries of all (two-card) poker hands? A suited (both the same suit) ace-king, also known as 'big slick,' is arguably the fourth-best starting hand for Texas Hold 'em. However, you really have nothing until you start developing a flush, straight, or pair with the flop. Strengths of Ace-King in Texas Hold’em. When it hits the flop, it hits hard – When an Ace or a King hits the flop, you are far ahead of your opponent’s range as you have top pair and top kicker.If you have suited AK and flop two cards in your suit without a pair, you have two.
Now that you know how Texas Hold’em is just one of many poker games, let’s discuss a few of its variations. Think of this as a crash course on everything poker.
The Variations of Poker
There are three main types of poker variants:
- Community Card Games
- Draw Poker Games
- Stud Poker Games
While growing up, I learned to play draw and stud poker. In fact, anyone over the age of 40 probably did so as well. However, community card games are by far the most popular poker games today.
While there are key differences between each poker variation, there are also numerous commonalities.
What All Poker Games Have in Common
Each game within a variant will almost always have the same basic rules. All poker variations have:
- An “Ante” (Pronounced An-Tee) which is the minimum amount of money that each player much wager to play in the game. These are forced bets before the game begins. In some games, every player pays the same ante while in other games only a set number of players pay the ante or “blind.”
- Betting rounds where players can bet, check, call, or raise.
- The same hand ranking system including high card, pairs, two-pairs, trips, straights, flushes, full-houses, four-of-a-kind, straight flushes, and the extremely rare royal flush.
- Competition with at least two players being needed to play. There is no solo poker.
While the hand rankings tend to be the same, the way the game plays can vary wildly from one variant to another. Here are the three common variations with examples of popular games.
1. Community Card Poker Games
In a community card poker game, every player is
Common Community Card Poker Games
- Texas Hold’em – Each player is dealt two hole cards and then there is a “pre-flop” betting round following a defined order of play. Three community cards, called the “flop, are then dealt and there is a 2nd betting round. After the flop,
comes the turn where a single community card is dealt followed by the third betting round. Finally, the last community card called the “river” is dealt and the fourth and final betting round occurs. If action is closed on the river, then the players with hole cards still in play “showdown” their hands in a defined order and determine the winner. - Omaha – Omaha plays exactly like Hold’em except that each player receives 4 hole cards and exactly two of those hole cards must be used to determine his or her best 5-card hand. For example, if there are 4 Hearts on the board, a player must still have two hearts in their hand in order to make a flush.
- Pineapple – Pineapple is a game with many variations. Each player is dealt three hole cards, one of which can be discarded at a particular point in the hand, depending on the variation. Most commonly, the discard happens pre-flop. No matter on what street the discard occurs, the hand otherwise plays just like Texas Hold’em.
- Courchevel – This game plays just like Omaha except that each player gets five hole cards and one of the flop cards is dealt before the first betting round occurs.
2. Draw Poker Games
In draw poker games the players do not share any cards but are rather are dealt a complete hand before the first betting round. Typically, each player is allowed to trade in and “draw” between one and four cards new cards from the deck. There is now another betting round based on the new hands and showdown occurs.
Common Draw Poker Games
- Five-Card Draw – In
five-card draw, each player is dealt five cards. Typically, each player can trade is between one and three cards after the initial betting round. However, some local rules allow for four cards to be traded if the player has an Ace. - Seven-Card Draw – Plays exactly like five-card draw, except each player is dealt seven cards at the start of the game.
- Double-Draw – Double-Draw plays exactly like regular draw poker there are two draw phases instead of just one, which adds an extra betting round to the game. There is also triple-draw poker as well.
3. Stud Poker Games
In stud poker games, the players are dealt a set number of cards. Only the cards initially dealt can be used to play the game. There are no community cards and no cards are drawn. Typically, each player is dealt a set number of down cards and then a defined number of face-up cards. Usually, the last card dealt is again face down.
Common Stud Poker Games
- Seven-Card Stud – Seven-card Stud was the most popular game in the world before Texas Hold’em took that title in the early part of the 21st century. At the start of the game, each player is dealt two cards face down and one card up. After the initial deal, the first betting round occurs. There is then one betting round after each additional card is dealt face up. The final card is dealt face down. There are five betting rounds possible with each player ending up with three cards down and four face-up.
- Razz – Commonly known as “seven card stud low”, Razz is a game where you try to make the lowest hand possible in poker. The wheel is the most powerful hand in Razz followed be 6, 4, 3, 2, A and 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, so on and so forth. Except for the different hand ranking criteria, Razz plays exactly like seven-card-stud.
- Five-Card Stud – This game was most popular in the 18th century and involves each player is dealt one card down and one card face up. The player with the lowest card must pay a “bring in” bet in order to continue in the game. Then, there is a betting round. The player with the best hand showing always goes first. In total, there are four face-up cards with a betting round after the cards are dealt.
- Mississippi Stud – Mississippi stud plays exactly like seven-card stud except that there is no betting round between fourth and fifth streets. Also, the final card is dealt up. This game has the same feel as Texas Hold’em except there are no community cards.
Final Thoughts
So now you know that Texas Hold’em and poker are not the same thing and that Hold’em is just one game in a multitude of poker games. If you are interesting in learning Texas Hold’em strategy, be sure to check out my comprehensive tutorial.
Related Questions
What is
Can you bet after the river in Texas Hold’em? Yes, you can bet after the river card is dealt in Texas Hold’em. There are four betting rounds total: One after the hole cards are dealt, one after the flop is dealt, one after the turn is dealt, and one after the river is dealt.
Is Ace high or low in poker? In most poker games the Ace can be high or low. An Ace can be either the highest card that can make a straight, Ten-Jack-Queen-King-Ace (called broadway) or the lowest card that can make a straight, Ace-Two-Three-Four-Five (called the wheel).
In this lesson you’re going to learn the first and most important step about how to play poker by learning the all important poker hand rankings.
- A standard poker hand consists of five cards.
- Each poker hand is ranked in a set order.
- The higher the rank, the less chance statistically you have of getting it.
- The higher the rank of your hand the better, because two pairs always beats one pair, and a flush always beats a straight.
- When two or more players have a hand of the same rank, then there are more ways to determine the best hand.
Hopefully all these points will make perfect sense by the end of this lesson.
Poker Hands (from Best to Worst)
Be sure to pay close attention and memorize the poker hand rankings. Let’s start with the best possible hand in poker….
Royal Flush
A Royal flush consists of five cards of the same suit, in sequence from 10 through to Ace. Remember that all suits are equal in poker. If two or more players hold a royal flush (highly unlikely) then the pot is split, i.e. the players share the winnings.
Straight Flush
Five cards of the same suit, in sequence. This example shows a Jack high straight flush. If two or more players hold a straight flush then it is the highest that wins. For example, a Queen high straight flush beats a Jack high straight flush. You will notice that this is very similar to a Royal flush, and that’s because a Royal flush is in fact an ace high straight flush – but it’s given its very own ranking.
Four of a Kind
Texas Holdem Hands
This hand contains four cards of the same rank/value. This example shows four 8’s, plus a 5 (remember that all poker hands must have five cards). If two or more players have four of a kind, then the highest value wins (e.g. four 9’s beats four 8’s). If two or more players share the same four of a kind, which can happen when using community cards (more on that later) then the winner is decided by the fifth card. So a player with four 8’s and a 6 would beat a player with four 8’s and a 5.
Full House
A full house contains three cards of the same rank, plus a pair. In our example you can see three 10’s and a pair of 7’s. The value of the three matching cards determines the strength of a full house. So three Jack’s with a pair of 7’s would beat our example hand. If players share the same three cards, which is possible when using community cards, the strength of the pair is then taken into account. So, three 10’s and a pair of 8’s would beat our example hand.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit in any order. Our example shows a Queen high flush. If two or more players have a flush then the player with the highest ranked card wins. If the players share the same high card then it’s determined by the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th card respectively.
Straight
This hand contains five unsuited cards in sequence. Our example shows a King high straight. In the event of a tie, the best straight is determined by the highest ranked card. A straight consisting of 8, 9, 10, J, Q, would lose to our example hand. But a straight consisting of 10, J, Q, K, A, would win. Also note that an Ace can be used as the low card for a straight of A, 2, 3, 4, 5. This would lose to a straight of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated cards. Our example shows three 4’s. Three 5’s would beat our example hand, three 6’s would beat three 5’s, and so on. If players share the same three cards, then the value of the highest unrelated card would count and if necessary, the value of the second unrelated card. So, three 4’s with Jack, 8, would beat our example hand. As would three 4’s and 10, 9 (because 9 is higher than 8).
Two Pair
Texas Holdem Tournament Videos
Two cards of matching rank, with another two cards of another rank, plus an additional card. In the event of a tie, the highest pair wins. If players share the same highest pair, then the value of the next pair wins. For example, a pair of Aces, and a pair of 6’s would beat our example hand, as would a pair of Kings and a pair of 7’s. If two or more players share the same two pair, then the value of the fifth card counts. So, a pair of Kings, a pair of 6’s, with a 4, would beat our example hand.
One Pair
A paired hand contains two cards of matching rank, plus three additional cards. The value of the pair determines who wins in the event of a tie. For example a pair of 10’s beats our example hand. If players share the same pair then the best hand is determined by the value of the highest additional card. If this is the same then it goes to the second card, and if necessary the third. So, a pair of 9’s with an Ace, 2, and 10, would beat our example hand. As would a pair of 9’s, King, 10, and a 3.
High Card
If a hand doesn’t fall into any of the above categories, then it is judged on the value of the highest ranked card among the five. In this example we have a hand which is Queen high. If players share the same highest card, then it goes to the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th card if necessary. A hand of Queen, 10, 9, 5, 4, would beat our example hand.
Community Cards
As you already know, a poker hand consists of five cards. In many variations of poker, players receive or can choose from more than five cards. For example, in Texas Hold’em each player is dealt two private cards, but can also use the five community cards that are available for all the players to use. This makes a total of seven cards, but each player must choose their best five cards to make their best possible hand. Here’s an example:
How To Deal Texas Holdem
In the above example, the best five cards among total of seven (two private cards and five community cards) would be combined to make a flush.
Once you have the basic rules of poker understood, it’s time to start building a powerful strategy. See how our friends at Red Chip Poker built the perfect course to give you the perfect playbook…
Conclusion
If you don’t fully understand the poker hand rankings then please read through the list again. It’s vital that you know which hand beats which. Of course, how good a poker hand is, is very dependent on which type of poker game you are playing and other factors such as the number of other players you are playing against. You will learn the true strength of a poker hand as you gain experience of playing the game.
We have created a printable poker hand rankings chart that you can use as a source of reference. Hopefully we’ve explained the poker hand rankings to you well enough whereby you don’t need this chart, but it still might be handy for some. The chart will load as a PDF (link opens in a new window) and you’ll need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to be able to view it.
Make sure that you memorize the poker hand rankings before moving onto the next lesson.
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By Tim Ryerson
Tim is from London, England and has been playing poker since the late 1990’s. He is the ‘Editor-in-Chief’ at Pokerology.com and is responsible for all the content on the website.