5-card poker games may be your enemy when trying to get a royal flush. In a 5-card stud or draw poker game, your probability of making a royal flush are a whopping 1 in about 650,000. Moreso, the royal flushes account for only 1 in 10 straight flushes, so the odds of landing a straight flush in the first place are about 1 in approximately 65,000. Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Five sequential cards in the same suit. The highest type of Straight Flush is a Royal Flush, and the lowest is an A-2-3-4-5 hand (if Aces are low or high/low). This type of hand is referred to as a 'Steel Wheel'. Other Straight Flushes with special names include. An ace high straight flush, such as Ad Kd Qd Jd 10d is called a royal flush, and is the highest ranked hand in standard poker, without wild cards. Four of a kind Also known as quads, four of a kind is a hand like 7h 7s 7c 7d 2s, that has four cards of the same rank, and one other card. The value of flush goes all the way up to AKQJ9 of the same suit, and this is the biggest flush possible without having the strongest hand in poker – royal flush (AKQJT of the same suit). The highest flush beats not only all the lower flushes that will not be folding to our huge bets, but it also beats all sets (trips), two pairs, and pairs.
- Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Rules
- Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Card Game
- Poker Royal Flush Vs Straight Flush
- Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Game
Royal Flush
Ace high Straight Flush.
Ace of Spades King of Spades Queen of Spades Jack of Spades 10 of Spades in a single suit. Also frequently referred to as 'Broadway'.
Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Rules
Straight Flush
Five consecutive cards of the same suit.
Five sequential cards in the same suit. The highest type of Straight Flush is a Royal Flush, and the lowest is an A-2-3-4-5 hand (if Aces are low or high/low). This type of hand is referred to as a 'Steel Wheel'. Other Straight Flushes with special names include:
- King of Clubs Queen of Clubs Jack of Clubs 10 of Clubs 9 of Clubs - Off Broadway (because it's shifted down one rank from a Royal Flush, or 'Broadway').
Four of a Kind
Ram slots speed. One of each suit in a single rank.
Also known as Quads. Many of the Four of a Kind hands have their own nicknames:
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts King of Spades - Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts Queen of Spades - Village People (four Queens)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts 10 of Spades - Larry, after Larry Fortensky (four-ten-sky), Elizabeth Taylor's eighth husband
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 4 of Spades - Yacht Club (because the 4 resembles a sail)
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 3 of Spades - Forest (four 'trees')
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts 2 of Spades - Mighty Ducks (because the 2 resembles a duck)
Full House
Three of a Kind and One Pair.
A Full House is called as 'X over Y' where X is the Three of a Kind and Y is the Pair (e.g., in a A-A-A-Q-Q hand, you would call it as 'Full House, Aces over Queens').
A Full House is sometimes called a boat or a full boat. When called a Boat/Full Boat, the hand is announced as 'X full of Y' (e.g., the same A-A-A-Q-Q hand would be called a 'Full Boat, Aces full of Queens'). Some Full House hands have special nicknames:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Marksman (bows and arrows)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Sailing rednecks
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Nits and Lice, Mites and Lice
Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Card Game
Any five cards, all of which are in the same suit. A Flush all in hearts is referred to as 'Valentine's' while a flush all in clubs is known as a 'Golf Bag'.
Straight
Five consecutive cards.
Five cards in sequential order (but not all in the same suit, or it would be a Straight Flush). Also known as a Run (in many melding/counting games, such as gin and its variants, cribbage, and canasta, a Straight is referred to as a Run, and the name has carried over into poker).
- 6 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 3 of Spades 2 of Clubs - Rabbit (the lowest Straight Flush if Aces are high)
- 5 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 2 of Spades Ace of Clubs - Wheel, Bicycle, Bike, Spike, First Street, Little Wheel (the lowest run if Aces are low or high/low)
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. Also known as Trips, a Set, or Triplets. Three-card combinations that have special names include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds Ace of Hearts - Beatles reunion
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts - Three Wise Men, Christmas Special (both references to 'Three Kings'), Alabama Night Riders, Ku Klux Klan (KKK is an abbreviation for the Ku Klux Klan, and 'Alabama Night Riders' is a colloquial term used to refer to this group, which has a history of carrying out their acts at night in rural ateas)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts - Six Tits
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds Jack of Hearts - Hart, Schaffner, and Marx (Three Jacks)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts - Dallas to Fort Worth (the I-10 connects these two Texas Cities), San Jose to Gilroy, Gilroy, Thirty Miles of bad road (the distance between San Jose and Gilroy, California, used to be 30 miles, although the two cities are now adjoining)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Hearts - 21, Slot Machine, Jackpot (all named after results in other casino games like Blackjack and Slots)
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds 6 of Hearts - The Devil, The Beast, Lucifer, Devil's Area Code
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 5 of Hearts - Washington Monument, Pork Chop Sandwiches
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Grand Jury
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Huey, Dewey, and Louie (three ducks)
Two Pairs
Two pairs, each with two cards of the same rank. Notable named two pair combinations include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (Arrows and Nooses)
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Mommas and Poppas
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Pair of Dogs (because it's K9K9-- two canines)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - San Francisco Waiters (Queens with Trays/Treys)
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five (Jacks and Fives), Motown, Rock and Roll
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Hookers with Crabs (because the Jacks hook and the 3 is like a sideways crab)
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Oldsmobile
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Dinner for Four
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Socks and Shoes, Mites and Lice, Mits and Mites, Nits and Lice
One Pair
Two cards of the same rank. The poker hand that contains a single pair that is the most worth noting is the Princess Leia (an A-A-2-3), so called because the room in which Leia was imprisoned in Star Wars was room A-A-2-3. The best known names given to (pocket) pairs include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds - Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds - Cowboys, King Kong
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Bitches, Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Fish Hooks
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - German Virgin (no, we don't know why.)
- 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Snowmen
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds - Sunset Strip, Hockey Sticks
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Route 66
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Speed limit
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Magnum, Sail Boat
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Crabs
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Ducks
High Card
Ram slots speed. One of each suit in a single rank.
Also known as Quads. Many of the Four of a Kind hands have their own nicknames:
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts King of Spades - Four Horsemen (of the Apocalypse)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts Queen of Spades - Village People (four Queens)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts 10 of Spades - Larry, after Larry Fortensky (four-ten-sky), Elizabeth Taylor's eighth husband
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 4 of Spades - Yacht Club (because the 4 resembles a sail)
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 3 of Spades - Forest (four 'trees')
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts 2 of Spades - Mighty Ducks (because the 2 resembles a duck)
Full House
Three of a Kind and One Pair.
A Full House is called as 'X over Y' where X is the Three of a Kind and Y is the Pair (e.g., in a A-A-A-Q-Q hand, you would call it as 'Full House, Aces over Queens').
A Full House is sometimes called a boat or a full boat. When called a Boat/Full Boat, the hand is announced as 'X full of Y' (e.g., the same A-A-A-Q-Q hand would be called a 'Full Boat, Aces full of Queens'). Some Full House hands have special nicknames:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Marksman (bows and arrows)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Sailing rednecks
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Nits and Lice, Mites and Lice
Flush
Five cards of the same suit.
Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Card Game
Any five cards, all of which are in the same suit. A Flush all in hearts is referred to as 'Valentine's' while a flush all in clubs is known as a 'Golf Bag'.
Straight
Five consecutive cards.
Five cards in sequential order (but not all in the same suit, or it would be a Straight Flush). Also known as a Run (in many melding/counting games, such as gin and its variants, cribbage, and canasta, a Straight is referred to as a Run, and the name has carried over into poker).
- 6 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts 3 of Spades 2 of Clubs - Rabbit (the lowest Straight Flush if Aces are high)
- 5 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 3 of Hearts 2 of Spades Ace of Clubs - Wheel, Bicycle, Bike, Spike, First Street, Little Wheel (the lowest run if Aces are low or high/low)
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank. Also known as Trips, a Set, or Triplets. Three-card combinations that have special names include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds Ace of Hearts - Beatles reunion
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds King of Hearts - Three Wise Men, Christmas Special (both references to 'Three Kings'), Alabama Night Riders, Ku Klux Klan (KKK is an abbreviation for the Ku Klux Klan, and 'Alabama Night Riders' is a colloquial term used to refer to this group, which has a history of carrying out their acts at night in rural ateas)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds Queen of Hearts - Six Tits
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds Jack of Hearts - Hart, Schaffner, and Marx (Three Jacks)
- 10 of Clubs 10 of Diamonds 10 of Hearts - Dallas to Fort Worth (the I-10 connects these two Texas Cities), San Jose to Gilroy, Gilroy, Thirty Miles of bad road (the distance between San Jose and Gilroy, California, used to be 30 miles, although the two cities are now adjoining)
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds 7 of Hearts - 21, Slot Machine, Jackpot (all named after results in other casino games like Blackjack and Slots)
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds 6 of Hearts - The Devil, The Beast, Lucifer, Devil's Area Code
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds 5 of Hearts - Washington Monument, Pork Chop Sandwiches
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds 4 of Hearts - Grand Jury
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds 2 of Hearts - Huey, Dewey, and Louie (three ducks)
Two Pairs
Two pairs, each with two cards of the same rank. Notable named two pair combinations include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (Arrows and Nooses)
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Mommas and Poppas
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Pair of Dogs (because it's K9K9-- two canines)
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - San Francisco Waiters (Queens with Trays/Treys)
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five (Jacks and Fives), Motown, Rock and Roll
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Hookers with Crabs (because the Jacks hook and the 3 is like a sideways crab)
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Oldsmobile
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Dinner for Four
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Socks and Shoes, Mites and Lice, Mits and Mites, Nits and Lice
One Pair
Two cards of the same rank. The poker hand that contains a single pair that is the most worth noting is the Princess Leia (an A-A-2-3), so called because the room in which Leia was imprisoned in Star Wars was room A-A-2-3. The best known names given to (pocket) pairs include:
- Ace of Clubs Ace of Diamonds - Pocket Rockets, Bullets, American Airlines
- King of Clubs King of Diamonds - Cowboys, King Kong
- Queen of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Bitches, Double date, Canadian Aces, Siegfried and Roy
- Jack of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Fish Hooks
- 9 of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - German Virgin (no, we don't know why.)
- 8 of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Snowmen
- 7 of Clubs 7 of Diamonds - Sunset Strip, Hockey Sticks
- 6 of Clubs 6 of Diamonds - Route 66
- 5 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Speed limit
- 4 of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Magnum, Sail Boat
- 3 of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Crabs
- 2 of Clubs 2 of Diamonds - Ducks
High Card
While the high card is the lowest possible hand in poker (every poker hand automatically has a 'high card' in it-- the card with the greatest value), it comes into play in some poker variants more than others. Poker rookies often underestimate the value of the high card.
Texas Hold'em, for instance, is frequently referred to as a game of high cards because a player with higher cards always has an advantage. If player 1 holds K-Q and player 2 holds J-10, there are three possible outcomes:
- The flop makes player 1's hand, and player 1 wins.
- The flop makes player 2's hand, and player 2 wins.
- The flop doesn't make either player's hand, and player 1 wins again.
The player with high cards has a statistical advantage and will win 63% of the time.
Well known nicknames given to pocket hands are:
- Ace of Clubs King of Diamonds - Big Slick, Anna Kournikova (looks great, never wins!)
- Ace of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Big Chick
- Ace of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Black Jack, Jack-Ass
- King of Clubs Queen of Diamonds - Royalty, Marriage
- King of Clubs Jack of Diamonds - Kojak
- Jack of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Jackson Five
- Queen of Clubs 3 of Diamonds - Gay Waiter
- 9 of Clubs 5 of Diamonds - Dolly Parton
- Ace of Clubs 8 of Diamonds - Dead Man's Hand (player Wild Bill Hickok was shot in 1876 after winning with it!)
- King of Clubs 9 of Diamonds - Canine
- Jack of Clubs 4 of Diamonds - Flat Tire
Knowing the hand ranks gives a player a quick signpost for their strength when betting into a pot. A successful online poker player needs a detailed knowledge of the hand rankings. When I say you need to know the poker hands, I'm not talking about whether a pair of aces beats a pair of kings.
I'm talking about that mass of card combinations between the best and worst hands. Whenever you hold any set of cards, a gambler needs to know its strength relative to the rest of the possibilities. To do this, card players should study hand ranking charts not much different than what you would study in blackjack.
Poker Royal Flush Vs Straight Flush
Several experts have made tables which detail the playable hands in Texas hold'em, Omaha, seven-card stud, razz, and the various hi/lo 8-or-better variants of the games already mentioned. Study these for the game or variant you want to master. That way, you know which hands to play and which to fold.
Poker Royal Flush Vs Royal Flush Game
Even if you decide to play a hunch or make a bluff, you do so with the knowledge that you're diverging from classic poker strategy. Predicate all you do in poker on a firm understanding of the hand ranks.
