Poker Hands

You might think that starting hands in poker is all about getting big cards and winning with them. That's only half the story. The other half of the story is avoiding getting yourself into situations where you call down with weak cards. If you've played poker already, you'll probably nod your head in agreement when you relate the situation of being in the big blind, catching top pair on the flop with a weak kicker, calling the turn, then calling the river even when you really don't want to and find yourself out kicked. It happens all the time so the key is to let it happen to your opponents, not you. A bet saved is a bet earned, always remember that.

Poker is played from a standard pack of 52 cards (some variant games use multiple packs or add a few cards called jokers). The cards are ranked (from high to low) Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace. (Ace can be high or low, but is usually high). There are four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs); however, no suit is higher than another suit.
The types of 5-card poker hands are: