How To Tell If You Have A Winning Hand In Texas Hold'em

When those seven cards are dealt in Texas Hold'em � five community cards and two pocket cards � yours could easily be the winning hand. There are so many possible combinations. Finally, of course, the best hand wins.

Let's take a look at how the game progresses. First of all, there are two pocket cards which each player is given right in the beginning. Then come the five community cards which have to be shown to everyone who is at your table. So what really gives you the edge are the pocket cards which only you can see. These are what can help you come out on top with a winning hand.

There are ten standard hands in the game. Right on top of the pack is the Royal Flush which means you hold the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10 of a particular suit. Then comes the Straight Flush which can be any five cards of a particular suit in sequence. Then of course comes the four cards with the same numbers like four Aces or four 9s, called Four of a Kind. Following this in order of importance is the Full House which is three cards of the same number together with two cards of the same number � for example, 7/7/7 and 4/4. You don't have to have a sequence or a particular suit here.

Then comes the Flush which means all your five cards belong to the same suit but are not in any particular sequence. So you could have a 5, 8, 9, Queen and Ace in Hearts and that's a Flush you've got yourself.

Next comes the Straight which is cards in sequence but not in any one particular suit. So you could have a 4 of Hearts, a 5 of Diamonds, a 6 of Spades, a 7 of Hearts and an 8 of Spades and you've got a Straight. Next in line is Three of a Kind where you could have three cards of the same number like three 3s or three Jacks. After this comes the Two Pair which are pairs of two cards each of the same number. Last of all is the Simple Pair which is just one pair of the same number.

So once you take a look at your cards, you'll know just how good or passable or bad they are and how best to use them to win the hand. It is important to learn early on what beats what or you may wind up betting too much money on what you have in your hand if you have mistakenly figured it will beat out your opponents.