The Hand is Quicker Than…Golf?
The game of poker is one of the world’s favourite games of skill and chance. Blending ability with luck of the draw, poker has increased in popularity over centuries.
Among the myriad of poker games known today and played around the globe, all have one basic concept in mind: Types of card combinations have greater value or ranking than other card combinations.
The overwhelming majority of games have a default minimum of one pair required to win if that pair is the top hand. From that mark, the upward-ranking combinations are
One pair: Two cards of the same face value; suits are mixed. Pairs do not have to match colour.
Two pairs; Two matching pairs, such as two threes and two fours. Pairs do not have to match colour.
Three of a kind: Three matching cards in different suits, such as three fives.
Straight: Five sequential cards of mixed suits.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit, non-sequential face values.
Four of a Kind: All four cards of the same face value, one in each suit.
Full House: One pair and three of a kind.
Straight Flush: Five sequential cards of the same suit.
Royal Flush: 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace of the same suit.
Five of a Kind: Possible only when playing with a wild card: All five cards have the same face value. Many versions of poker that play with Wild Cards disbar any Five of a Kind hand that has more than two wild cards, but that depends on the players.
