Poker guides
Poker Frequently Asked Questions
Poker is a much-loved game with a worldwide appeal, some people start playing poker with friends at a small stakes cash game at home, whilst beginner poker players start by playing at online poker sites, again normally for small stakes.
Yes, three of a kind is a better hand than two pair.
No, a flush is a better hand than three of a kind. A flush is statistically less likely than three of a kind so is there is there a higher ranked hand.
No, three of a kind doesn't beat a straight. Both are quite strong hands but a straight is a better hand than three of a kind.
Yes, a full house beats a flush. A full house is a combination of three of a kind and a pair in the same hand, 5 cards made of two groups of cards.
Yes, a straight flush is a better hand than a full house in poker. A straight flush is a hand that is run of 5 cards in order, all of the same suit. The highest straight flush is King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9. If the straight flush is ace high it is called a Royal Flush.
Yes, a straight flush beats four of a kind in poker. Four of a kind is four cards all of the same suit, the highest being four aces, the lowest being four twos.
No, in poker the highest hand is a royal flush. A royal flush is a hand made up of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 all of the same suit. Otherwise called an Ace high straight flush.
No, there is no 3 pair in poker. Every hand is only made of 5 cards, two cards in your hand, otherwise known as hole cards and an additional 3 cards from the community cards from the flop, turn or river. So you can only have a 2 pair, which is 4 cards. A 3 pair would be made of 6 cards which isn't allowed.
The suits in poker, are Hearts, Diamonds, Spades and Clubs. The Hearts and Diamonds are red suits and the Spades and Clubs are black suits.
No, in Texas Hold 'em poker every suit has an equal rank.
In the UK it is completely legal to gamble for money at home with friends. As long as you only do it at home, as opposed to a pub or restaurant and you don't charge people for entry into the game, beyond the normal buy-in.
The history of poker is something that is still debated to this day, with some saying it was based on an 11th Century Domino game, others claim it can be traced back to a 16th Century Persian game called "As Nas". The closest european ancestor to poker is a french game called "Poque" which gained popularity in the 17th Century. Texas Hold 'em is widely considered the first form of poker created within the US, in the 19th Century. Hold 'em went on to become the most popular poker variant and possibly the most popular card game of all time.
A forced bet is a mandatory bet before the first round of betting, most usually these would be small blinds and big blinds.
The big blind is a forced bet that is made before the flop (the first three cards) by the player seated to the left of the small blind. Usually this is approximately double the size of the small blind, i.e. 1/2 or 2/5 where the the first number is the small blind and the second is the big blind.
The small blind is a mandatory bet that is made pre-flop by the player seated to the left of the dealer. Usually this is half the size of the big blind. Where the value of the big blind is an odd number, the value of the small blind is rounded down, for example in a 2/5 game the big blind is $5 and the small blind should be $2.50, this is rounded down to $2.
A bad beat is a loss in poker that is unlikely or particularly unlucky. An example is KKKK being beaten by AAAA. Usually a four kings would be an incredibly strong hand so the hand holder would be confident that they would win, being beaten by the only 4 of a kind that is stronger than 4 kings is a bad beat. As with most things in poker, when it happens, you'll know.