Poker Hand Rankings and Odds – Probabilities for Beginners (for Texas Hold'em, Stud, Omaha).

This article is for beginners new to the game, or returning players refreshing themselves on what hand beats what hand in poker, plus odds/statistics. This information is useful for everyone because at one point or another we have all questioned if a flush is better than a full house, or a straight to a flush. It can be confusing at times, even for advanced players.

The goal for Texas Hold 'em is to make the best combination of five cards out of your hole cards (two down cards), the flop (first three middle cards), the turn (3rd card), and the river (last card). Here are the hand rankings and odds.

High Cards : The easiest hand to make in any Poker game (Hold'em, Omaha, Stud…). It is also the lowest possible hand with the Ace being the highest value and the 2 being the lowest.
Odds : There is a 1 in 52 chance of getting any given card in the deck minus cards in play. Also the players have to be factored in. So (52-(players x 2)-(flop)-(turn)-(river) = denominator odds). There are Poker Simulators designed for calculating these odds in certain situations. People that practice with these odds and patterns can often make better calls and raises.

Pair : The first combination a player can make is by matching two cards of the same number or face.
Example : [Ace, Ace, Jack, 10, 2]
Odds : There is a 1 in 4 chance of pairing two cards.

Two Pair : This is self explanatory. Add another pair to the original pair.
Example : [Ace, Ace, Jack, Jack, 10]
Odds : There is a 1 in 20 chance of having two pair.

Three of a Kind : When three cards match (with no other matching pairs or else that would be a Full House). A player must factor in the odds that other players might have the needed card(s) or they might be in the Deck. That is what makes it more difficult than a pair, let alone matching all fours cards of the same value.
Example : [Ace, Ace, Ace, Jack, 10]
Odds : There is a 1 in 46 chance of having three of a kind.

Straight : When a player connects any 5 cards in order with different suits (example: hearts, clubs, diamonds, spades). The Ace can be valued as 1 or 13 in only Straight hands. The first two are correct ways of utilizing a Straight.
Example #1 : [ Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Example #2 : [10, J, Q, K, A]
Here is the incorrect way : Example #3: [Q, K, A, 2, 3]
Odds : The odds are 1 in 254 of forming a straight.

Flush : This is one of the most frequent hands a player must watch out for regarding suits. It is when a player matches 5 cards in a suit. It is not very frequent but it does happen.
Example : [5 Hearts, 7 Hearts, 10 Hearts, Jack Hearts, Ace Hearts]
Odds : It appears roughly half the times a straight does at odds of 1 in 508.

Full House : A Full House is when a player has three of a kind and a pair in one hand.
Example : [Ace, Ace, Ace, Jack, Jack]
Odds : A player's odds are 1 in 693

Four of a Kind : This is the third best hand in the game. A hand that should be played aggressively from the beginning. It is when a player matches four cards of the same number or face value.
Example : [Ace, Ace, Ace, Ace, Jack]
Odds : This is when the odds start to become very rare at 1 in 4,164.

Straight Flush : Next is the Straight Flush which can be made by simply combining a Straight and a Flush, making this the second best hand in the game.
Example : [2 Hearts, 3 Hearts, 4 Hearts, 5 Hearts, 6 Hearts]
Odds : Another hand you might not see for weeks or even months. The odds are 1 in 72,192.

Royal Flush : Bringing us to the best hand in the game of Texas Hold'em. A Royal Flush is a hand consisting of…
Example : [10, J, Q, K, Ace] All hearts, diamonds, clubs, or spades.
Odds : If a player can see this hand dealt out once in their life they are lucky. With odds of 1 in 649,739.

Good Luck to those of you and future hands of Texas Hold'em and other fun Poker games. Also remember to play Poker responsibly and only for what you can afford.