What is the strongest suit in poker. Poker combinations

According to the rules, in poker only the ranks of the cards that participate in the final combination are important. It happens that novice players try to convince their opponents that suit seniority exists in poker. But, as a rule, these are beginners who gained their knowledge from unreliable sources, or the poker player knows the rules, but he plays in the company of novice players and tries to take advantage of their inexperience to achieve victory.

In real poker, no one suit is given priority, the only exceptions being organizational issues that do not directly affect the game itself.

Organizational aspects

Sometimes, during a poker game, people pay attention to the suits. This is done in the following situations:

• the order of seating of players at the table. Usually poker players don’t think about where they should sit and sit where they want. However, there are times when the distribution of seats at the table is a fundamental point. In such situations, the dispute is resolved using a playing deck. Everyone draws a card, first their ranks are compared, and if several players have drawn cards of the same value, then their suits are compared;
• Defining a player for a mandatory move. In many types of poker there is a position of dealer. This player performs some organizational functions, the rest of the game participants located next to him make the big and small blinds. In some types of poker, for example, 5-card and 7-card stud, there is no dealer position. And in order to determine who will bet the big blind first, they resort to the same system that was described earlier. The holder of the lowest ranking card bets the big blind first;
• dealer definition. In those varieties of poker where there is a position of dealer, using the described method, the first player who will be assigned these duties is determined;
• bank division. Sometimes there are situations when several poker players have collected combinations that are absolutely equal in strength. In such cases, the rules of the game require that the pot be divided equally. If the bank is not divided equally, for example, the number of chips is odd, then they look at what suits the combinations are made of.

There are other organizational issues that are resolved using the suit, but they do not affect the game itself in any way.

History of the hierarchy

In ancient times, when card games first appeared, there were many of them and they had complex rules. Even then they used the hierarchy that is still in effect today.

Fans of card games say that seniority was determined in France in the Middle Ages. Spades represented the nobility, hearts symbolized the clergy, diamonds symbolized the merchant class, and clubs symbolized the peasants.

Other players believe that priority is associated with the English name of spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs and their alphabetical arrangement.

Since this game developed in an English-speaking country (USA), the name of the suits in the vast majority of rooms and casinos is not the same as in Russia. Diamonds are called Diamonds, hearts are Hearts, spades are Spades, and clubs are Clubs. Users of many rooms do not see the entire name, but abbreviations, for example, As, which means Ace of Spades.

Poker suits

Suit seniority in poker occurs in some exotic variations of this game that are not popular with most players. In most poker games, suit doesn't matter. However, in some rooms you can play 7-card Stud and its modification – Razz.

7 Card Stud is one of the popular types of poker. Its difference from Texas Hold'em is that in order to collect a winning combination, the player is given 7 cards, not 5. Game progress:

1. Before the start of a poker game, all participants in the game place an Ante, its size is 1/5 of the minimum bet;
2. Each poker player is given 3 cards: 2 face-down and 1 face-up, which is called third street. The player who received the weakest third street must make a Bring-in bet; it is ½ of the regular bet. If several poker players received cards of equal weak rank, then their suits are compared. This is considered the first round of bidding;
3. During the second round, each player who did not fold is given another face-up card, which is commonly called fourth street. The poker player with the strongest fourth street begins the bidding;
4. During the third round of bidding, each participant in the game is given another face-up card - fifth street;
5. During the fourth round of bidding, all active poker players are given an open card - sixth street;
6. During the final round of bidding, each poker player is given the last card face down, it is usually called the River or Seventh Street;
7. During downshifting, the combinations of all active players are compared and a winner is identified.

Controversial situations

Some poker players, when playing classic types of poker, make mistakes by determining the winner by the suit of cards. Because for this, in controversial situations, they use a kicker, that is, the highest card by value. Only in exceptional cases do both participants in the game collect combinations that are absolutely equal in strength. For example, in 5-card Draw poker, several poker players have a chance to collect the same Straight or Flush.

Theoretically, it is even possible that several poker players will collect a Flush from cards of equal rank. In such situations, it is customary to divide the pot between poker players, and determining the winner using the suit of cards is a violation of the rules.

Thus, if a player prefers a type of poker such as 7-card Stud, where a Bring-in bet is made and the suit of the cards matters, then it is important for him to know the hierarchy of the suits. If he prefers classic types of poker, he may not remember this information. Because the seniority of suits in poker is not taken into account when composing a combination. They are taken into account only when determining some organizational issues.

Combinations in poker are necessary so that you can easily navigate your pocket cards and the cards on the flop, turn, and river.

You can learn Texas Hold'em poker combinations using videos from the Poker Academy, as well as on free course together with the coach. You can register for training

Below video information is described in more detail.

The entire list of poker hands by seniority in Texas Hold'em:

Royal Flush

Royal flush– the strongest combination in poker. It consists of five cards of the same suit, from ten to ace. All suits in poker are equal, which means a heart royal flush is equivalent to a spades, clubs and diamonds.

Straight Flush

Straight flush– these are five consecutive cards of the same suit. For example, a straight flush to a queen. If two or more players make a straight flush, the one with the highest card wins. For example, a straight flush to a queen (as in the example) beats a straight flush to a jack.

Four of a Kind

Kare– this poker hand contains four cards of the same rank. This example shows four eights, plus a five (remember that all poker hands must have five cards). If two or more players have collected four of a kind, then the one whose cards are higher in rank wins. For example, four nines beat four eights. If several players have collected four of a kind of the same rank (this can happen when four cards of the same rank are laid out on the table), then the one with the highest fifth card wins. For example, four eights and a five will lose to four eights and a king.

Full House

Full house– contains three cards of the same rank plus a pair. The rank of the three cards determines the strength of the full house. Thus, three jacks with a pair of fives beats our hand (three tens and a pair of fives). If players collect identical triplets, the winner is determined by the rank of the pair.

Flush

Flash– five cards of the same suit in any order. If two or more players have a flush, the highest card determines the winner. If the players have equal high cards, then victory is determined by the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th cards, respectively.

Street

Straight– this combination contains five consecutive cards of different suits. Our example shows a straight to jack. If several players make a straight, the winner is determined by the most high map. Street consisting of 6, 7, 8, 9, T, would have lost to our combination. But the street, consisting of T, J, Q, K, A, would have won. It is also worth noting that the Ace can be used as the lowest card for a straight from A, 2, 3, 4, 5. And such a poker hand would lose to a straight from 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 .

Three of a Kind

Three (set)– three cards of the same rank and two unrelated ones. A triple of sevens would beat our poker hand of a triple of fives, a triple of nines would beat a triple of sevens, and so on. If players have the same threes, the value of the highest unconnected card determines the winner. If they are equal, then the value of the second unconnected card. So, a three of fives with a jack and an eight would beat our poker hand of three fives with a nine and a three.

Two pairs

Two pairs– two cards of the same rank with two more cards of a different rank + an additional card. If several players have two pairs, the highest pair of one of them wins. If players have the same top pair, then the value of the next pair is taken into account. For example, a pair of Aces and a pair of sixes would break our hand. If two or more players have collected two identical pairs, then the value of the fifth card is taken into account. So, a pair of Kings, a pair of sixes and a four would break up our playing combination.

One-pair

Pair– a combination of a pair and three unconnected cards. If several players have made a pair, then the winner is determined by the seniority of the pair. For example, a pair of tens beats our combination. If players have collected the same pairs, then the one with the highest unconnected card wins. So, a pair of eights with an Ace, a nine and a two would break our hand.

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Card suit is one of several categories into which cards in a deck are divided. Most often, each card has one of several symbols indicating which suit it belongs to. Alternatively or in addition, the suit may be highlighted in a separate color when the cards are printed. Most card decks are also installed rank each card and may contain special cards in the deck that have no suit, most often called jokers 🃏.

Clubs are also called clover or flowers. The club icon is believed to be derived from the German suit of acorns.

In Germany, pikes were a symbol associated with the blade of a spade. The English term "spade" did not originally refer to a tool (shovel), but came from the Italian word spada= sword, from the name of the Italo-Spanish suit. The symbol was later changed to a shovel to avoid confusion. In Germany and Holland the suit was called respectively Schüppen And schoppen(ladle). In some areas of England, such as the West Midlands, the suit is sometimes called " cabbage" or " cabbage leaf", which indicates a direct connection with the German name for the suit "leaves".

In a popular and large category of trick card games, traditionally called "wist" games, although the best known example is bridge, one of the suits in each knight of the game is assigned trump card. All cards of the trump suit are ranked higher than the other non-trump suits and automatically prevail over them, second only to the highest trump cards competing for the trick.

In some games, one or more suits are special or different from the rest. A simple example is the game "Spades", in which the suit of spades is always the trump card.

A more complex example is the game of Hearts, in which the player must avoid tricks containing the suit of hearts. In the common rules of the game of Hearts (rules vary slightly), the Queen of Spades and the Two of Clubs (sometimes also the Jack of Diamonds) have a special property, resulting in all four suits having different strategic value.

Another non-trivial example is the game “Goat”, where a special trump suit includes not only all clubs, but also jacks and queens of all suits, and the order of precedence of cards in the trump suit is slightly different from that for the non-trump suit. Thus, out of 36 cards, ordinary suits have 7 cards each, and trump suits have 15 cards.

In some games, the rules set the precedence of suits. An example is games with bargaining, such as bridge, because if one player promises to make a certain number of tricks on hearts, and another - the same number of tricks on diamonds, then there must be a mechanism for choosing a preference.

Since there is no standard rule for ordering suits, each game where there is such a need makes its own agreements. However, the prevalence of bridge [ Where?] creates the prerequisites for its orderliness de facto has become the standard.

In the most common card games in Russia with bribes, the order of suits (from high to low) is as follows.

Suit seniority is used in most card games. And only in poker is such ranking used quite rarely. However, this does not mean that suits do not mean anything in poker.

Some of the strongest combinations in poker, such as flush and royal flush, are formed precisely from a combination of cards of the same suit. Moreover, it is almost impossible for two players to get such a combination at the same time. In addition, a number of situations may arise in the game, which we will discuss below, where the seniority of suits is used.

Types of card suits

The most common is French interpretation and ranking of cards. Currently, in any card games there are four suits:

• peaks - Spades. In the text it is indicated as the value of the card with the letter s, for example: Ts;
• hearts - Hearts. In the text - h, for example: Ah;
• tambourines - Diamonds. Written as d, for example: Qd;
• clubs - Clubs. In the text it is denoted as c, for example: Kc.

Seniority of suits in poker, sometimes used to solve out-of-game situations, in particular organizational ones, determined exactly in the order in which they are presented above: spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs.

Seniority of suits in poker

In poker, Texas Hold'em, like in any other card game, there are enough situations when it is necessary to resolve some controversial situations that are not directly related to the game. Let's take a few examples:

• determining a seat at the gaming table. As a rule, players take places randomly, but by general agreement, places can be distributed in accordance with the cards dealt;
• identifying the player on the button in the first hand, can also be produced according to the denominations of cards specially distributed for this purpose;
• required in Stud poker it is charged to the player who has the lowest value card;
• in a split situation in poker, where the pot has to be divided in half, it may contain an odd number of chips. In this situation, the owner of the chip is also determined by the rank of the suits of cards these players have.

As you know, a deck of cards contains four cards of each denomination, having different suits. What way out can be used in the above situations, when the players received cards of the same value during the distribution? In fact, everything is very simple. It is for such situations that the highest suit in poker comes in handy, and the player on the button or the player taking the odd chip in a split will be determined by senior suit in accordance with the described ranking.

Knowledge of the generally accepted ranking of card suits can be useful to a poker player and in any other situations that require determining priority.

So, in Texas Hold'em they are made up of five cards, and in Seven Card Stud, as the name suggests, they are made up of seven. This material will present all combinations in poker, since this is the type of game that this moment is the most popular in the world.

Hold'em appeared around 1900 in the USA and since then has undergone virtually no changes - poker combinations and their hierarchy have remained the same. Just like a hundred years ago, today players receive two hole cards in their hands and collect their winning five-card poker combinations using hand cards and 5 board cards. Classic poker became most widespread in the late 1960s, and today it is this variety that has the advantage in the schedules of most world tournament series. This game is very popular and is considered ideal for introducing the diverse world of poker. This is why online most regulars play at TX tables - there are always a lot of newcomers here who can easily make money. However, the competition at the high-limit tables here is much higher than in any other games, so if the player has a desire to develop his potential, he is unlikely to get bored with this discipline.

There are several variants of Hold'em that differ in their bet limits, but the mechanics remain the same throughout Texas poker.

At the start of the hand, the dealer gives each player 2 pocket cards. Based on the fact that there are 52 cards in the deck, one of which will be dealt to us, and the second will be given out from the remaining (51), then we can get 1326 different starting hands (52x51/2=1326). The number of winning sets of five cards is limited to only ten. Today we will look at all combinations in poker in ascending order, from the weakest, such as the highest card, to the strongest and rarest (), find out the probability of getting a particular set, and also look at examples of playing some hands in various circumstances.

Poker combinations by seniority

Poker combinations are the decisive word at showdown, which will speak in favor of one or another poker player at the gaming table. Poker combos are variants of card sequences that determine the winner of the pot.

In poker you often hear the concept of a “hand”. They represent the cards that the player receives when dealt. A hand can be either strong (playable) or weak. Depending on their playability of the hand and the cards on the board, the participant in the hand will calculate their chances of winning. Each specific poker combination is necessary so that the poker player can easily navigate his pocket cards and common cards on the flop, turn and river, as well as calculate your own capabilities and the chances of your opponents in the pot.

You need to evaluate poker combinations in ascending order in this order:

• high card,
• pair,
• two pairs,
• three (set\trips),
• straight,
• flush,
• full house,
• bob,
• straight flush,
• royal flush

According to this ranking, the stronger the combination, the less often the poker player will be able to collect it.

There is no need to consider all combinations in poker separately, because in Texas Hold'em a player can collect only 10 different winning sets of cards. The remaining sets will always be inferior in strength at the table, and therefore we will consider only winning combinations in poker by seniority. In most disciplines, the hierarchy and components of a combo repeat each other.

Royal flush

Royal flush is the strongest combination in poker, which is a type of straight flush. It consists of suited cards from ten to ace. The probability of getting a royal flush in Texas Hold'em is as follows:

• with two suited Broadway cards, you can get a royal flush on the flop with a probability of 0.0008%;
• with a royal flush draw with one hole on the flop, a winning combo will be formed on the turn in 2% of cases;
• from a royal flush draw with one hole on the flop to the river - it will hit in 4% of cases;
• With a royal flush draw with one hole on the turn, on the river the chances of making the strongest combo will be equal to 2%.

The royal flush combination is one of the main symbols of poker culture. It is often depicted on various souvenirs and is actively used in the media industry.

Straight flush

The straight flush combination takes second place in the poker hierarchy. It is a set of five suited cards, located one after another in order of seniority. The lowest possible straight flush will be the sequence A♣ 2♣ 3♣ 4♣ 5♣, and the highest combo will be a royal flush, the suit of which will not matter. If you have suited connectors, the probability of getting this combination on the flop will be only 0.02%. A straight flush draw without one card on the flop by the river will be hit high 8% of the time, and on the turn a straight flush draw has a 4% chance of getting stronger.

Kare

A four of a kind combination is made up of four cards of the same rank. The English equivalent of the name is Four of a kind. In terms of seniority, the combo ranks third after royal flush and straight flush. The lowest quad will be 2♠2 2♦2♣, and the highest, respectively, will be A♠A A♦A♣. The fifth card in the four of a kind set will act as the kicker. The kicker will determine the winner in hands where four of a kind is made up of community cards. The chances of collecting quads even with a pocket pair on the flop will be 0.25%, and with cards of different ranks - 0.01%. But a three on the flop will allow you to collect this combination on the turn with a probability of 2%, by the river - 4%.

Full house

Full house is another fairly strong poker hand, representing a pair and a three of a kind in one combo. When describing a full house in English literature, the expression “full of” is usually used, for example, the full house combination A♠A♣A♦7♠7 will be called Aces full of Sevens, which means “aces complemented by sevens.” In situations where 2 players at the table have collected a full house, the seniority of the combo will be determined by the number of threes rolled. Thus, when players face J♠J♣3♦3 3♠ and Q♦Q♠2♠2 2♣, the first player will win. With a total of three, the strongest hand will be determined by the pair.

Flash

A flush combination consists of five cards of the same suit, arranged in any order, 'flush' means "suit". There are four of them in poker, and each suit has equal strength. Let's give an example of a poker combination - A♦T♦6♦4♦2♦ or K♠J♠9♠7♠5♠. If five cards of the same suit fall on the board, the strength of the flush will be determined by the poker player’s kicker. However, there are situations when the highest cards of the players coincide in seniority. In this case, the second highest cards will be accepted for comparison, etc. If the flush and kickers of the players completely match, the pot will be divided in half. Situations like this are extremely rare in poker.

Straight

A straight combination consists of five cards of different values ​​and suits, located one after another in order of seniority. The name of the combination "Straight" is translated from English as order. The Ace in this combination can complement both the high and low strip combination. One type of combination is the so-called wheel - a straight from Ace to Five A♦2♠3♣4 5♠, which is the lowest combination of this order. The strongest straight will be, accordingly, T♦J Q♠K♦A. As with a flush, if two players have a straight, the one with the highest card in their combination wins.

Troika

The three-way combination serves as a general name for two combos at once - a set and trips. However, the principle of forming a set does not change - the player needs to collect three cards of the same value. And he can do this in several ways: from two pockets and one card on the board, two community cards and one pocket, and also from three community cards on the table. A set is made up of two hand cards and one board card, and trips are made up of a common pair and one hole card. The set is more difficult to read than trips, and therefore is considered more successful for the poker player. In the event of a collision between two players who match three, the winner is determined by the kicker.

Two pairs

A two pair combination is a set of four cards, combined in pairs and one kicker. If two or more participants in the hand collect two pairs at the same time, the owner of the highest pair wins. If two players get two identical pairs, the one with the highest kicker wins. In situations where the opponents’ kickers coincide, the pot is divided between the participants in the hand. When playing with a pocket pair, the chance of making two pairs on the flop is 16%, from two different cards - 2%. If the hand on the flop consists of a pocket pair, the probability of a combo on the turn will be 19%, on the river - 40%. If on the turn the game is played with a pocket pair, then on the river you will be able to make two pairs in 26% of cases.

Pair

A pair combination consists of 2 cards of the same value. If such a combination is dealt preflop, it is called a pocket pair. In the event of a clash between opponents who have the same pair, the poker player with the highest kicker wins. Let's look at an example: for players with T♠ T A J♠ 3♣ and T♠ T♦ Q J♣ 3♠, the pairs of tens in their hands will match, but the first player will win, since her high kicker A is higher than the opponent's kicker Q. In hands where both pairs and senior kickers match, the second kickers are taken into consideration. In situations where both poker combinations completely match, the pot is divided between the participants in the hand.

High card

The highest card combination is considered the lowest in Texas Hold'em. Victory is determined by the highest card; it is determined in hands where none of the opponents managed to collect a single ready-made combo from the above. At showdown, if both players have no combinations, each player's highest card is first compared. If the kickers are equal, all subsequent cards will be compared in descending order. For example, with A♠K from player 1, A♣J♠ from player 2, on a board of 8♠5 T♠6♣2, player 1 with kicker K will win.

Winning combinations in poker

One of the most important skills in poker is the ability to determine the relative strength of your hand and calculate its potential. It is worth remembering that hand strength depends on many factors and is not limited by the value of the cards. In the wrong hands, even winning poker combinations can lead to losses.

Often, due to the inability to read an opponent and determine his playing style, novice poker players lose large sums of money, relying solely on the strength of their cards. In a professional environment, this game is called ABC poker and is considered characteristic feature newbie. However, we will not be so categorical and say that in some situations even the ABC strategy allows you to effectively play winning poker combinations, beat your opponents at the poker table and win money. In previous articles we gave detailed description this strategy, where the main importance is the table of top cards (chart of starting hands).

Poker is a dispersion game where changes in one or more quantities from their mathematical expectation are possible. This is one of the key parameters that every player will encounter as they improve their skills. Therefore, it is important to understand that a royal flush or other top combo is not an indicator of skill. It is much more important to learn to follow the logic of your opponents’ moves, calculate their range of cards and try to win with hands of different strengths.

Now, having studied the strength of each combo, you have a basic knowledge of the mechanics of the game and can begin to study poker in depth and, of course, practice, because this game reveals its potential exclusively in a live process. Learning winning poker combinations is the first, but very important step towards winning and mastering real skill. Arm yourself with the theoretical materials you have received and go to your first poker tournament or just play with friends - believe me, this exciting game will captivate you from the first minutes.