Poker Hands What's Better

A hand that consists of two cards of the same rank. Two aces is the highest ranked pair and two 2’s is the lowest ranked pair. A hand that consists of three cards that do not make any of the hands listed above. An ace, king, and jack is the highest ranked high card hand and 5, 3, and 2 is the lowest ranked high card hand. Poker traditionally has to be played with one deck. When you have more than one deck, the entire face of the game changes - more hands become possible, the probability of some hands changes drastically, and so on. To demonstrate this, I decided to analyze poker with two decks of cards. As I calculate it, this is the correct ranking of hands.

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'.

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

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

Poker Hands What

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 hands what

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)
Poker

Poker Hands What's Better For You

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:

  1. The flop makes player 1's hand, and player 1 wins.
  2. The flop makes player 2's hand, and player 2 wins.
  3. 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
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    • I can often hear newer players on poker tables having a heated discussion between Ace-King and pocket deuces. Some claim Ace-King(AK) is better while others prefer pocket deuces (22). The answer might be unclear to newer players, but every serious player will know the answer.

    Pocket deuces are a 52% vs 48% favorite to win against Ace King and are therefore a small favorite preflop. But we should also consider playability and which hand makes you more money. Ace King plays better postflop and is a greatly more profitable hand than pocket deuces and therefore a better hand.

    You see, my winrate with AK is far greater than with 22. That might be surprising at first glance as 22 has a 52% chance to win against AK. But there is more than just raw equity of the hand (chance to win preflop). Poker is commonly played postflop and not just preflop by putting all the chips in the middle.

    If you don’t hit strongly with 22, then often you just need to fold as if you don’t hit trips then always you will be faced with a hard decision. All the time there will be 3 overcards already on the flop. Your chances to hit trips on later streets are very slim also (roughly 10% of the time from flop by the river). While on the other hand if you are holding AK in your hand if you hit a pair it will always be top pair (either A or K on board). Even if you miss the flop you can improve to top pair on later streets. That way it is easier to put pressure on the opponent on the flop.

    It’s definitely my fault I lost playing pocket deuces. I wasn’t such a good poker player at the beginning of my career. But compare this to my winrate with AK where graph goes up at a very consistent pace. Playing pocket deuces is a lot more swingy as usually you will win rarely and that will be a big pot once you hit a set. Compared to AK that can play back on many flops, and picks up many smaller pots with a good combination of middle and big pots in between.

    Table of Contents

    Pocket deuces against random hands:

    22 is a flip (50 vs 50) against a random hand. It is a slight underdog against suited connectors as well as a slight underdog against broadway hands (combinations of Ten and higher). In a scenario where our opponent holds a pocket pair himself, we are a big underdog (unlikely to win the hand). Our odds to win are now only 19%. And that is just for preflop equity. Not to mention 22 does even worse when we need to play postflop.

    A common scenario that occurs is that opponent bets on the flop and we only have the lowest pair with very slim chances to improve. The correct play is to fold. If we call in hopes to hit our trips on turn and river we are bleeding the chips away.

    Pocket deuces do well once we hit trips. We are likely to win the pot (chips in the middle). And this single case is what makes 22 and other low pairs playable and profitable. Although not as profitable as AK, it is still a good enough hand to play.

    Our strategy with 22 is very simple. We play it to hit the set (three of a kind). Don’t invest a lot of money with it preflop. It is okay to call a single raise. You can expect to hit a set every 1 out of 8 times. Accompanied by the knowledge that we don’t get all of the opponent’s money every time, the real odds you should look at are around 1 to 15 or even 1 to 20. So if you are investing less than five to seven percent of your whole stack preflop, then you should call a raise preflop with pocket deuces. If you miss the flop simply give up. Those times that you hit have a solid gameplan on how to extract the max value out of the opponent.

    Ace King against random hands:

    AKo and AKs are a big favorite over a random hand, unlike 22. 65% to win the hand. Moreover, AK is also a favorite against suited connectors (JTs, 89s, etc). With 60% of equity preflop. The same goes for broadway hands.

    While AKo is doing good already on its own, AKs does even better. We can hit a flush by 3 cards of the same suit on the board and 2 in our hand. It will be a nut flush and making it really hard for our opponent to fold lower flush.
    It is true that AK is merely a flip or a slight underdog (48% to win) against 22 if hands would be to go all in. But when it comes to postflop playability, AK is the dominant hand. There are many flops that are good for us. We can put a lot of pressure preflop already by 3betting and dominating postflop on hitting the top pair with the best kicker. AQ, AJ, AT will not be willing to fold quickly when they hit A on the flop. The same goes for KQ, KJ, KT. This makes AK a real money printing hand.

    Our goal with 22 is to win a big pot here and there and give up often when we miss the flop. For AK our strategy is different. We are not letting it go often on the flop as we have ok chance to hit top pair by the river. And on hitting top pair we can put in some value bets and only give up if we get reraised. At that point, we are likely beaten by a better hand. But until we are shown the strength of the opponent we can extract value by betting. I will go deeper into the strategy with AK in a bigger article, as there is a lot of strategy behind it. For now, just remember that if played correctly Ak should by far outperform 22 in terms of profit made.

    Ace King and pocket deuces against more opponents

    With pocket deuces

    Our strategy with 22 against more opponents isn’t any different than against a single opponent. We still play it straightforward, giving up on flops when we don’t hit a set. Preflop we actually get better chance for a call, if we are late to act (ob the button, small blind and big blind). Better odds to call are due to more people calling a raise and therefore having more money in the middle on the flop. You still hit a set one out of 8 times on the flop. But now you need a little less than 1 to 15 to call preflop. Now it is not necessary you win a lot of money from anyone. There are already more chips in the middle due to more people calling preflop.

    With Ace King

    With AK we need to be slightly more careful. More people are on the flop, more likely it is, someone has hit good on the flop. We can’t put a lot of pressure now on the flop if we didn’t hit anything. Bluffing against multiple opponents is a sure way to burn our money. AK will still be profitable in multiway pots. But we would prefer playing against a single opponent. In the case when we hit top pair our opponent will know that now it is more likely someone else has hit well too. Therefore opponents will be less willing to continue with a top pair and mid-high kicker. One exception here is AKs, which still plays great multiway. Once we hit a flush, it will be more likely that one of the opponents has a flush too.
    In a nutshell, the scenario I described above and equity advantage of the hand, are two of the reasons why is it better to 3bet AK preflop than playing it multiway.

    Poker Hands What's Better Hard

    Summary

    Poker Hands What's Better Exercise

    22 has a slight equity advantage (52%). But compared to just AKs, it is a pure flip (50% vs 50%). I shoved you what AK lacks in equity advantage it makes up for in playability postflop. Both AK and 22 are profitable hands to play. Our strategy with those two hands varies greatly. For me, better hand is the one that makes me more profit and AK is a clear winner here.