The Ranking of Hands and Types of Draws

x

Video-poker hands are ranked the same way as hands in regular poker. The following list of hands is from the highest ranking to the lowest ranking.

Royal Flush: 10, jack, queen, king, ace of the same suit.

Straight Flush: Any five cards of the same suit in sequence. Example: three, four, five, six, and seven of diamonds.

Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same type. Example: four nines.

Full House: Three of a kind and two of a kind. Example: three jacks, two aces.

Flush: Any five cards of the same suit not in sequence. Example: two, four, eight, nine and ace of spades.

Straight: Five cards in sequence not of the same suit. Example: eight of hearts, nine of clubs, ten of diamonds, jack of spades, queen of spades.

Three of a Kind: Three cards of the same rank. Example: three aces.

Two Pair: Two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. Example: two tens and two queens.

One Pair: Two cards of the same rank. Example: two nines.

High Card: The order of ranking for the cards from highest to lowest is: ace, king, queen, jack, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, and one.

Once you know the ranking of the hands, you should be familiar with the types of draws you can make. Other than discarding cards in order to draw to a pair, two pairs, three-of-a- kind, or a flush, you will be drawing to various straights and straight flushes. These types of hands come in two categories, those that require an inside draw and those require an outside draw. If you have four cards to the following straight—eight, nine, jack, queen, and two—you would discard the two and draw to the other four, hoping to get the ten. This is an inside draw because the card you need fits inside the sequence. An outside draw would occur when you have nine, ten, jack, queen and two. You would discard the two and hope for one card to fit either outside end of the sequence. Sometimes this is referred to as an open draw because the ends of the draw are open. (Gambling terminology is nothing if not logical!) Thus, if you have an open-ended straight it means that either end is open for a card.

Likewise a double-inside draw would be an attempt to draw two inside cards to make a straight or a straight flush. When you are looking over the strategies in the upcoming chapters be aware that straights and flushes are often divided up based on how many inside draws are needed. If the strategy doesn’t specify any particular inside or outside draw, you can assume that either is the preferred strategy. Thus, you would draw to the straight or straight flush whether it’s an outside or an inside one.

What every video-poker player hopes for are the “nobrainer” hands that are automatic winners. These are hands that don’t require any decision making on the part of the player because they are rarely broken up. The following is a list of such “pat” hands. If you receive them on your first five cards, simply keep all your cards by hitting the HOLD button and then the DEAL-DRAW button.

However, sometimes even pat hands have to be broken in order to go for the money. Thus, in the strategies that follow I will note on what occasions you should break a pat hand. In general such an eventuality occurs when you have four cards to a royal flush with a fifth card of the same suit (a flush) or you have a straight made with a fifth card not of the same suit. Despite the fact that you have a winner, you would discard the “fifth” card and go for the better hand.

But first, the ranking of the “pat hands” is as follows:
Royal Flush
Straight Flush
Four of a Kind
Full House
Flush
Straight

“Every hand loses to aces”

Play poker is the game full of surprises and I feel pleasure playing this game but I personally feel that if you are a newbie in this you must gather some information about the game. Playing with aces is not easy as far as I am concerned.

So, with aces, this would not always be true if by rising you would expect just as many players to stay as you would by calling. In such games, where opponents are weak, loose, and show no respect for a raise, go ahead and rise. All opposing hands are significant losers against aces, even when you are first to act.

But in most games, you are often better off just calling with big hands (even aces) from an early position. This entire concept is not just a marginal aid to your profit; it is an overriding life-force in winning hold ‘em. It is so strong that many players who would otherwise beat hold ‘em for small amounts year in and year out are losing today because they are unaware of

The “nuts”

You should frequently remind yourself of the importance of having the high possibilities on an open-end straight try — that is, the highest possible straight (the “nuts”). For instance if the flop is J-l0-9, A-8 makes you worry if a queen hits (because anyone with a single king will beat you, even though you have made a queen-high straight). That means half of your connections are not comfortable.

Even when you have two parts of an open-end straight draw in your hand and two parts on the board, such as a flop of J-10-2 when you hold 9-8, there is still some danger of having the straight beat.

With the queen landing, you specifically must worry about A-K or K-9, hands opponents might reasonably be holding. If, on the other hand, you hold Q-K, either an ace or a nine can complete your open-end straight without causing you worry. Having “the nuts” means that you must win (or at worst tie).

Non-nuts situation

Experts tend to miss the reason why it is almost always terrible to play hands such as Q-8 off suit. Understanding that reason can automatically help you with many on-the-spot evaluations. Note that Q-9 off suit is much better than Q-8 off suit. Why?

Well, you can see two reasons readily: (1) The 9 is higher than an 8, so there are minor advantages there, and (2) Q-9 has a broader span, allowing two sets of ranks to form a straight (K-J-10 or J-l0-8) rather than just one (i-I 0-9 for the Q-8). But the actual advantage of holding Q-9 rather than Q-8 is much greater than you would expect even considering those factors. Here’s why.

With the Q-9, a flop of J-l0-8 means you absolutely have the best hand. The flop K-J- 10, while good, does not guarantee that you hold the “nuts” (A-Q will beat you). But with Q-8, you have NO chance whatsoever of flopping a “nut” straight. The flop J- 10-9 does not do it, because there is a very reasonable chance it could be beaten by someone holding K-Q. And that is not just one less hand you win; that is often a financial disaster.

This is just one example of a long category of hands which are not profitable if you are aiming for a straight that has any reasonable chance, however slight, of being beat. Straight tries with no chance off lopping an absolutely guaranteed best straight should be played cautiously, if at all.

FANCY TRUE CUT

I’ve been playing poker for more than a decade and it’s a great journey and throughout this journey I have my ups and downs but I never stopped playing because I know it has given me a lot.

A very pretty true cut is made in the following manner. Seize the deck at sides, close to end, so as to expose the whole deck, between the thumb and second and third fingertips of right hand, the fingers close together, but the second fingertip coming only half way down the side. Hook up the top portion with the second fingertip so that the corner will come out free of the third finger, thus dividing the deck in two. (See Fig. 16.) Then give the hand a slight swing or jerk downward and inward, releasing the upper portion with the second finger, allowing it to fall on the table. Then drop under portion on top. In seizing the deck, if it is slid to the table edge and tilted over slightly, the thumb and fingers take hold much easier, and are certain of raising all the cards. In making this cut the deck is held but a few inches from the table, and the action must be nicely made to have the cards fall flatly. The run cut can be made in the same way, dropping the packets one on the other. The action is the same when the cut is made by seizing the ends, but it is a little more difficult. No haste should be taken. The movements should be deliberate, so that the truth of the cut is apparent. The only advantage the cut possesses is its beauty, and a possible aid at times, by giving an excuse to square up with both hands. The run cut is liable to leave the cards uneven, and a left palm hold out can be replaced in this way. The only drawback is the danger in making a display of even such simple ability.

TO INDICATE THE LOCATION FOR THE CUT

While on the subject of cuts, we shall consider the various methods by which a true cut can be made by an ally, and still leave the complete stock intact. The dealer prepares for this by making an extra cut when his shuffle is completed, and indicates by one of the following methods the point at which he wishes his ally to reverse his last action, by making a true cut.

I. This is located by the crimp. — When using the hand shuffle make an extra under-cut of about half the deck, and when throwing the under packet on top shift the right hand slightly inward and form an in-jog, the left little finger helping to hold the location between the two packets. Then turn the left hand slightly downward, bringing the right hand over on top of the deck, and seize the ends between thumb and second and third fingers, apparently to square up. As the right thumb comes against the inner end it pulls up the in-jog slightly, forming a break. (See Fig. 17.) Then with the fingers of left hand crimp, or squeeze the under packet against palm of hand so as to leave the under packet slightly concave. (See Fig. 18.) The right hand effectively conceals this action of the left. Lay the deck down perfectly square to be cut. The ally makes the cut at the ends with one hand, and locates the crimp by touch. There is little or no difficulty in finding the crimp. It is the most probable place the cut would be made, even if left to chance, and many an unsophisticated player has unconsciously cut into a crimp and aided in his own undoing. If the deck is placed before an innocent player so that his hand naturally seizes the ends, the chances are in favor of his cutting to the opening. (See Fig. 19.) A professional will calculate on this probability when his right-hand neighbor is not an ally. The mainobjection to the crimp is that the bent cards may be noticed. The dealer immediately crimps in the opposite direction when squaring up after the cut.

The same result can be achieved by putting in a convex crimp in the under portion. It is led up to in the same manner, and the first finger of the left hand aids in forming the crimp by being curled up and pressed against the under packet to bend it upwards. In this case the ally cuts at the sides, and locates the crimp accurately by pressing the second or third fingertip on the top near the outside edge. This tilts the upper packet a little, and enables the thumb to find the crimp without an instant’s hesitation. (See Fig. 20.)

Ii. This is located by the jog. —When using the hand shuffle change the position slightly so that the four fingers will lie flatly against the bottom of the deck. Make the extra under-cut and bring tips of the second and third left fingers in against and slightly above packet remaining in left hand. In throwing the right-hand packet on top, let it slide a little across the left fingertips, so that a jog is made by the bottom card or cards, which are prevented from going completely over. (See Fig. 21.) This is perfectly hidden by the right hand. Square up the deck by the ends only and lay down to be cut, thereby not disturbing the jog. The ally cuts with the left hand, seizing the upper packet by the sides, the left thumb easily and instantaneously locating the jog by touch.

The action of both players must be rapid and careless in appearance, but not hurried. The irregularity of the side edges made necessa

Persona Of A Good Player

For becoming a good poker player you must have at least two things one is skills and other is luck. It is impossible to win a game without skills and luck. If you are a good player you will never take your opponent for granted because when you started taking your opponent lightly you start loosing.

The good player finds opportunities to make profitable agreements with other players. For instance, he can sometimes make an agreement with a loose player that each time either one wins a pot they will pay the other, for example, five dollars. Such an agreement will bring the good player a steady side income. Even when the loose player is a big loser, he will usually win more pots than the good player. Most poor players will gladly make such an agreement because they erroneously believe that a winner must win more pots than a loser. Also, most losers desire an association with a winner (the good player); such an association helps the loser feel on the same level with the winner. Often a loose player happily maintains such an agreement indefinitely without ever realizing that he is providing the good player with a steady, side income.

Compared to John Finn, Sid Bennett plays in twice as many hands, wins about fifty percent more pots, but loses nearly three times as often. He jumps at John’s suggestion to pay each other five dollars every time one of them wins a pot. Two years later, Sid is still pleased with this arrangement as indicated by his comments:

“At least I keep collecting these side bets,” he smiles as John wins a huge pot and gives him five dollars. “Don’t understand why you made such a stupid bet.”

MONEY EXTRACTION

The good poker player is involved in a long-term process of extracting money from the game as well as from each individual player.

1. Winning Too Fast

Extraction of money at the maximum rate is not always in the best, long-term financial interest of the good player. Uncontrolled money extraction can cause the following problems:

- Players who would be long-term sources of important income may quit the game.

- Stakes or rules may be disadvantageously changed.

- Unfavorable attitudes may develop.

- Game may break up.

These problems suggest that the good player can win too fast. To extract the maximum money, he often decreases his winning rate in order to control the flow of money. In other words, maximum money extraction may require a slower winning rate.

2. Uncontrolled Money Flow

Over a period of many games, uncontrolled money flows in a pattern similar to that illustrated. As the good player accumulates performance data on each player, these money movement patterns become evident.

Data for a game with an uncontrolled money flow are tabulated on page 142. Notice the heavy losses absorbed by poor players A and B compared to players C and D. In this game, the good player E is extracting winnings through normal, uncontrolled money flow. But poor player A may quit, for example, because continuous losses hurt his pride. And poor player B may insist on lower stakes because his sharp losses cause an acute financial strain. The good player may be risking his future earnings unless he alters the money flow to a controlled pattern similar to that illustrated.

The ideal money flow pattern for the good player occurs when he wins at the maximum rate that each player can tolerate. … This usually means winning less from the poorest players and more from the better players.

3. Controlled Money Flow

The good player evaluates the money extraction patterns 011 both a short and long term basis. If a controlled pattern seems desirable, he then determines how the money flow should be altered (extent and direction). In a controlled pattern, he usually extracts money more evenly from his opponents. In other words, he extracts less from the poorer players and more from the better players. Controlled money flow shifts everyone’s performance.

This controlled pattern costs the good player an average of $22 per game. But if the money flow were not controlled, the continued heavy losses of poor players A and B could have destroyed the game and cost him the $17,400 that he won over these hundred sessions. This $22 per session is his insurance premium for keeping the game at favorable conditions. He keeps accurate performance records to determine the cost, value, and effectiveness of his control over the money flow. This control normally costs him 10-15% of his net winnings.

The good player usually takes control of the money flow during the early rounds when his betting influence is the greatest at a minimum cost. He alters the money flow patterns by the following methods:

– Helps and favors the poorest players at the expense of the better players whenever practical.

-Drives the poor player out with Imt round bets when a better player holds a good hand. And conversely, he uses first round bets to keep the better players in when a poor player holds a good hand.

- Avoids playing alone against poor players; this decreases his advantage over them at a minimum cost. When betting against poor players, he makes image building and long term strategy plays at less favorable investment odds.

 

The Elusive Lady

It is all part of a grand pattern that can be called the laws of chance or the laws of probability. In some situations it is easy to figure out the chance of a particular series of events occurring. In other situations, it requires an expert with vast resources at his command.

Let’s make a minor digression and deal with dice as a simple exercise in probabilities. If you have no interest in this, just skip the next few paragraphs. There is no skill at all in the tossing of honest dice, and the information which follows can be used to compute the result of almost any dice problem.

If a die is perfect, its chance of coming to rest on a particular side is one in six. In tossing a pair of dice, there are 36 (6 x 6) possible combinations. Each single combination has an equal chance of coming up on each toss. The odds against a particular combination are 35 to 1. Here is our problem. Is it an even bet that the dice will pass?

The 36 possible combinations of a pair of dice are all listed in the first column. They are grouped according to the results that have a meaning in a dice game. These results, the total value, are shown in the second column. The third column is the count of the number of combinations in the first column that yield the value in the second column. There are four combinations that make a five, six combinations that make a seven, and so on. Remember that each of the 36 combinations has an equal chance of occurring.

The fourth column gives the true odds for one roll of the dice. It is 11 to 1 that you don’t throw a four; it is 5 to 1 that you don’t throw a seven; etc. In a Nevada casino, if you bet on the Field Numbers, you have 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. The house has 5, 6, 7, and 8. You have seven numbers and the house has only four. Consider, however, the number of combinations. The house has twenty. You have sixteen. You bet even money when you should be getting 5-to-4 odds. Every nine times you bet a dollar on the “Field” you should have a net loss of $1.

In the fifth and sixth columns we have assigned the Pass and Don’t Pass values. We shall study the problem in terms of the 36 sets of combinations. In dice, 7 or 11 on the first roll win immediately. Since 7 should come up six times out of 36 rolls, we enter 6 in the Pass column. Eleven comes up twice in 36, so we enter 2 in the Pass column. Don’t Pass; get the 2, 3, and 12 on the first roll. If a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 come up on your first roll, that number is your point. On succeeding rolls, if your point comes up before a 7, you win. If a 7 comes up before your point, you lose.

Let’s review these prospects. A 4 has three combinations. A 7 has six combinations. Each of these combinations has an equal chance of coming up. So the odds are 2 to 1 against passing. In three chances, you should pass once and lose twice. So we enter 1 in the Pass column and 2 in the Don’t Pass column. The odds are 3 to 2 against a 5 coming up before a 7. The dice should pass two out of five. However, as 5 came up only four times in our initial set of 36, the number of winners is 4 x 2/5 or 8/5. The rest of columns 5 and 6 are filled out by the same type of arithmetic. The fractions convert to decimals as indicated in the parentheses.

The answer to our problem is obtained by adding up the values in columns 5 and 6. The result can be described in various ways, but in any way it means that honest dice will pass less often than they will not pass. Here is the simplest way of describing the result. The odds are approximately 1.03 to 1 against the dice passing. A mathematician would say that the probability the dice will pass is .493.

Smooth Poker Game

Do you know what a “smooth” poker game is? Well, I didn’t either ’til I met up with Diamond Herb. Nobody could ever figure out where he got his nickname, since he never wore jewelry. Whenever he wasn’t around, we liked to call him Smooth Herb. There’s probably nothing that will mess up a friendly home game as quick as a law-and-order card player. You know the type. They would rather decide a pot on some silly technicality than on the obvious merits of each hand. This was Smooth Herb.
Sure, we all acknowledge the need for rules, especially at home games where disputes jump up and burn you out of nowhere. But guys like Smooth Herb take all the pleasure out of poker.

Now this was back in 1962 at a medium-sized pot limit hold ‘em game that went off every Friday night in San Antonio. The regular players on the Texas circuit liked this game because the host, Ken, had a really comfortable layout. Ken was about seventy, and soft-spoken, with a really active mind. Most of the players in this game were in their twenties or early thirties, so Ken naturally became sort of a father figure for us. This was the first time any of us had ever played poker against Smooth Herb. As we were plopping down in the super-soft chairs around the poker table, he shouted, “Wait!”
We all looked at him curiously. Wait for what? Let’s play poker. “How do you know who gets which seats?” he demanded.
“Son, you just take any seat that pleases you,” Ken smiled.
“That isn’t the right way to do it. You should cut cards for seats.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because, Doyle, that’s what makes a smooth game. If a game is smooth, it pays in the long run.”

Everyone thought this was rude of the newcomer, and a few of us grumbled about how this game had run fine for over a year without cutting for seats. But Ken said, “Let’s show our new guest a little courtesy.” So we cut for seats and that made Smooth Herb seem happy. He won the first few pots and then a player named Paul called a bet and raised $100.
“Are you calling me or raising me?” Herb wanted to know.
Ken interrupted, “The man said he was raising, son.”
“I know what he said,” Herb countered, “but his chips aren’t all the way in the pot.”
“Sure they are,” Ken explained. “There are the chips Paul called with, and there’s another hundred on the table in front of him. That’s a raise.” But Smooth Herb insisted, “Maybe we should draw us a circle ’round the pot, so we know when a bet gets made.”
Now there came a slight irritation in Ken’s voice. His soft elderly drawl cracked as he said, “Son, we never had much trouble before, figuring out who raised and who didn’t.”

Finally, Herb muttered to himself and yielded. He made the call and lost the pot. By evening’s end, he was roughly even. During the six hours of play he had complained often about rules that needed clarification. Here was a true stickler for detail.

All Other Hands With an Ace

How you play these hands is crucial to your success as a Hold’em player because they constitute about 15% of the hands you’ll be dealt. Most players almost always see the flop whenever they hold an Ace and this makes them big losers in the long run.  You should normally voluntarily enter the pot only with   You should not play with Ad. 9c. and below because they just don’t win often enough to show a profit in the long run. For example, if you are dealt an Ace in a ten-handed game, there’s a 75% chance that another player also has been dealt an Ace.

You’re a big underdog if his kicker is higher than yours. If you have something like Ah. 6s. and get an Ace on the flop, and get action, then you’re probably beat and are playing a guessing game. That’s not the way to play poker.  

Since most players do play every hand with an Ace, be careful when the flop has two or three wheel cards in it. If you have Ad. Ks. and the flop is Kh. 3d. 5s. and you get a lot of callers, you have a problem hand. It looks like any little card could make someone a wheel and that’s probably what will happen. This is especially true if there were no pre-flop raises. This makes it more likely that someone is holding an Ace and a wheel card.  

If you have Ace-little in one of the blinds and it’s raised before the flop, you should throw it away even though you already have a small investment in the pot. You probably do not have the best hand at this point since the raiser doesn’t figure to have a worse hand than yours. Don’t get tied to the hand just because you already have $1 invested. This is especially true if there are many other players who have already called the raiser in front of you.  

If there are one or more pre-flop raises, and you hold Ad. Qh., you could very well lose a lot of money if you flop an Ace and play all the way to the river. There is an 18% chance (in a ten-handed game) that the raiser has Ac, Ad., Kh. Ks., Qd. Qh. or As. Kd. And if he doesn’t, one of the other callers probably does.  

If you get a Queen on the flop, you will have a pair of Queens with an Ace kicker, but for you to have the best hand, the raiser would have to have raised before the flop with something like Ah. Js., Ah. Td ,Ks. Qd, Kc. Jh., Qc. Jh. or Qd. T s. That’s not too likely.  

Ad. Qh . is a classic trap hand when there’s a pre-flop raise and you should learn to be careful with it. You have to know your players and what they are likely to raise with and not raise with before the flop.  

One good thing about playing two of the top five cards is that any straight draw to the Ace-high straight will be the nuts. You will rarely have to split the pot because you’ll be using both of your hole cards. Keep in mind that the higher the cards are on the board, the more likely it is that someone can and will make the nut straight. This is due to the fact that players are more likely to play the higher cards necessary to make this straight.  

On the other hand, the lower the highest card on the board is, the more likely it is that someone has made a small straight. For example, if the board is 2d. 4h. 5s. 7c. 9h. and there is a lot of action, you can be certain that someone made the straight. But, when the board is something like Kh. 5h. 8s. Jc. 4s. and there is a lot of action, it’s less likely that someone made a straight even though it’s possible.  

If you flop an Ace-high straight, you should almost always bet it for value because this is exactly the type of flop that will make other second best hands pay you off. Someone will usually have what they think is the nuts (even though a straight is possible) and someone else will probably be on a draw to a better hand than your straight. Make them pay to beat you. Anyone holding a straight draw, top pair with top kicker, two pair, trips or a flush draw will usually be there until the river. Don’t let ‘em play for free.

The Good Players Needs Those Novice

               Respect Your Opponent  

In the game like jeux poker we need to respect our opponent. We should not hate them like anything as they are our opponent. In any game our opponent let us to win the game. If our opponent is not a strong player we will not get that much what we get from the game. 

You can ask almost anyone if they know how to play poker and they will answer yes. The reason they answer yes is that most people have played “kitchen table” or penny-ante stuff. The good player says to himself, “Wonderful.” Correct? Of course, correct. 

 It reminds me of the story of the man who met an attractive woman and wanted to find out more about her. He asked, “Do you play the piano?” She replied, “Perhaps. I haven’t tried it.” As we all know, it takes a lot of practice to even be a novice at the piano.  

How does that story apply to poker? It seems to me that most people who learn the general idea of poker feel they can play the game with almost anyone. Once they memorize which hands beat other hands (flush beats a straight, etc.), they see themselves as good to adequate players. That is why the good player says to himself, “Wonderful.”  

The good player needs those novice players, novice players who think they can play, to pay the freight. Those novice players present us with our best chance to show a profit.  

PLAYER ABUSE 

 

 What overwhelms me is the following scenario, a scenario I have seen over and over again. A beginner player doesn’t recognize that he is in a dangerous situation and calls all raises. Well, son-of-a-gun, he catches his magic card and beats the good player who was trying to get him out of the pot. Then the abuse starts. “How could you draw to only one card in the deck? Didn’t you see that I had you badly beaten? What’s the matter with you?” These and many other sarcastic statements are directed at the one who is stacking the chips.  

WHY? 

 It is a mystery to me why the good player will turn on those novice players with verbal abuse. Those novice players are his bread and butter, his ticket to profit. Yet, in his anger, the good player seems to do his level best to drive the man away from the game. I recall a quote by Philo: “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”  

It seems to me the player should go out of his or her way to accommodate the novice player. He should encourage each and every one of them to have fun playing poker. Talk to them, laugh with them, and find out where they are from. I saw this kind of friendliness in action on my last trip to California. After a couple of hours, a man sat down in the empty seat and it was apparent he had not played much poker. Immediately the guy next to me engaged this man in conversation. The new man, Ed, was from Chicago and traveled to the Los Angeles area once or twice a month. He was well dressed, sold computer software for a living and had three kids. Frank, the man next to me, had lived in Illinois, and they had a great time all afternoon. Ed, needless to say, lost quite a few dollars, but left in an upbeat mode. He even said he would come back to play on his next trip to California. Frank took down some of Ed’s money, but he made Ed feel good about playing. Respect for an opponent is an important concept to develop for your own sake and also for your wallet.