Basics of Poker and Poker Hands

Most poker games inside of our casinos are played with a standard 52-card deck. The cards are ranked according to the value of the number on the card or the value of the face. The ranking, from highest to lowest, goes as such: Ace (A), King (K), Queen (Q) , Jack (J), 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. The ace can also be used to complete a low straight; A, 2, 3, 4, 5. As well as numbers and faces there are 4 different types of suits which are used to determine the value of a poker hand. These are: Spades (S), Clubs (C), Diamonds (D), Hearts (H).

Poker hands are valued based on their five card ranking. These rankings are detailed below (a rank of 1 equals the best):

Rank	Hand Name	Description of hand	Example
1	Royal Flush	A, K, Q, J, 10 of same suit	10S, JS, QS, KS, AS
2	Straight Flush	Five cards of same suit in sequence	4D, 5D, 6D, 7D, 8D
3	4 of a kind	Four cards of the same rank	7S, 7C, 7D, 7H
4	Full House	Three of a kind plus a pair	3D, 3S, 3C, KS, KH
5	Flush	Five cards of the same suit	3H, 7H, 10H, QH, AH
6	Straight	Five cards in sequence	5C, 6D, 7C, 8H, 9S
7	3 of a kind	Three cards of the same rank	JH, JS, JD
8	2 Pair	Two pairs of different rank	5H, 5S, 9C, 9S
9	1 Pair	Two cards of the same rank	AS, AD

Tie Hands

If two hands are tied in rank, the following rules apply:

1. If two players both have straight flushes, flushes, or straights, the highest card that is part of the hand determines the winning hand. If the highest card still results in a tie, then the next highest card will determine the winner. And so on...

2. If both players have a full house, then the highest 3 of a kind will determine the winner.

3. If both players have three of a kind, the highest-ranking three of a kind will be determined the winner.

4. The highest-ranking pair in the hand will decide two hands with two pair. If this still results in a tie, then the remaining pairs will be compared and the highest-ranking pair will then determine the winner.

5. If both players have a single pair then the highest-ranking pair will win. If this is also a tie, then the next highest-ranking single card will determine the winner. If this still results in a tie, then the next highest single-ranking card will determine the winner. And so on...

6. Two hands with no pairs, flushes, or straights are compared and the card with the highest-ranking single card will be determined the winner. If this still yields no winner, then the next highest card will be determined the winner. And so on...

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