What Are The Best Poker Hands?

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For anyone that wants to improve their poker skills, learning the best hands is a crucial step. Knowing the chances of a hand winning can help to ensure that better decisions are made at the table. In this article, we look at the best poker hands while also offering some helpful tips for newer players!

The best poker hand is a royal flush, which consists of a 10, J, Q, K, and A, all of which are the same suit. Next is a straight flush, which is a running combination of any five cards, again all of the same suit. Some other top-rated hands in poker include:  

1. Four of a Kind - This includes four cards that have the same value, for example, 4 jacks. 
2. Full House - Three cards of the same value, combined with a pair, or two other cards with the same value. 
3. Flush - Five cards of the same suit. 
4. Straight - Five cards that run consecutively, regardless of the suit. 

Adversely, a high card is the word hand in poker. It will be beaten by anything from a pair upwards, or a card with a higher face value.

The best way to recognize strong and weak poker hands is to learn the hierarchy. This can allow people at the table to gain an understanding of how likely their hand is to win the pot. Some inexperienced players may not know that they have a strong hand before the community cards are dealt, as they are unaware of the chance of various cards appearing. For example, having a 5 and 6 may not appear to be strong, but there are still chances to make a straight.

Following on from the previous point, learning the percentage of each hand winning can help players to make better decisions while playing. Another tip is to not play with too much confidence, or with too little. Starting on free tables could be the perfect solution, as this can eliminate the potential emotions that newer players have, especially when using real funds. 

Last but least is to play frequently. Like with anything in life, one of the best ways to improve is through practice. Again, playing a free table could be the best way to learn the ropes. From here, players can progress to smaller stake poker games and adjust the bet size accordingly, as their skills improve.

Bluffing in poker can be a great way to win hands if done successfully. Of course, bluffing is only possible if other players at the table are unsure about the cards in your hand. This is why mixing up the playstyle is crucial, as if you fold every weak hand, others will know when you're holding a strong combination of cards. 

Some players will also have 'tells', which is a change in behaviour that often happens when a bluff is in progress. Getting rid of these from your game can improve the chances of winning while bluffing.

For players that aren't sure if they have any tells, talking to the other people at the table after the session has concluded could be useful. Tells can also affect online poker games and, in this case, usually revolve around timing or bet sizing.

Now, there are a few different ways to play a poker hand correctly. These revolve around proven strategies; however, they will likely require a lot of time and practice to master. One of these strategies is to calculate the expected value of a hand and adjust the bet accordingly.

Experienced players can do this effectively by working out the percentage of their hand winning, taking the community cards into consideration. This can then be compared against the amount required to call and the total pot size, for example. 

Finally, reviewing previous games can help players to improve their decisions in the future. Reviews can be done by yourself, with friends that are familiar with the game, or by posting on various online poker forums. If the suggestion sounds viable, it could be implemented into upcoming games to see if it makes a difference. Constantly monitoring each hand is critical. However, this is best left until after the session has finished.

With the information in this article, players can identify the best hands in poker while also increasing their chances of winning. Remaining unpredictable at the table is undoubtedly something to consider, as this means that other players will be unsure of the strength of your hand, too!

So, now that you've learned about the best poker hands, why not put them to the test by playing online poker today at bwin - see how they work for you. However, if you don’t feel confident as yet about your poker skills or you don’t understand the basic rules of poker, you should take a look at our comprehensive guide.