Texas Hold’em Poker Combinations There are ten combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker. These are the same in Texas Hold’em Poker as in most variations. Indeed, apart from a few exotic variations, we find the same combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker, in Omaha, for example. A combination in poker is always made up of 5 cards (except in Badugi). This article will give you the list of combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker, with many examples. We will also explain to you how to separate combinations or recognize the cases of equality.
The Combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker:
There are many variations of poker. In Texas Hold’em Poker, like Seven Card Stud or Omaha, combinations are classified differently. Texas Hold’em No Limit Poker is the most popular variant of poker in the world. There are different variations of Texas Hold’em Poker, but all of them use the same combinations.
Definition of Combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker:
A poker combination (also called a hand) is made up of 5 cards, except for Badugi. At the end of the last betting round (if the move has not stopped before), the players still in the game show their hands so that it is determined which player has the best combination or whether there is a tie and division of the pot between the winners. The players will then compare the strength of their combinations. The combinations are more or less strong according to the cards which compose it. There are ten combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker and in most variations.
The Order of Cards in Texas Hold’em Poker:
First of all, be aware that there is no hierarchy between the colors (except in the particular case of bring-in in Stud). Hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades all have the same strength. Texas Hold’em Poker, as in most other variations, the highest card is the Ace (except in the case of the straight where the ace can be both the highest card and the lowest card, example: 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5, here it is the five which is the highest card in the suite), then come in order of strength K (King or King), Q (Queen or Queen ), J (Jack or Jack), T (Ten or 10), 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.
When We Compare Combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker:
In Texas Hold’em Poker, combinations are compared when the board is full, that is, when five cards are present in the middle of the stack, face up. The combinations are compared after the last betting round after the river. The combinations are compared in a moment called the Showdown.
Players have two hole cards, visible only to themselves during betting rounds. Showdown helps build the best possible hand, choosing zero, one, or two hole cards in Texas Hold’em Poker to complete the five cards on the board. The combination is formed by five cards only (no more and no less). Note that if you are playing Omaha, you must always use at least 2 of your pocket cards to form a combination.
What is the Number of Possible Hands for Each Combination in Texas Hold’em Poker?
In Texas Hold’em Poker, you play with 52 cards. Thus, there are a large number of possible combinations: 2,598,360 possible hands. Each combination thus has a different number of potential hands:
- Royal Flush: 4 possibilities.
- Straight Flush: 36 possibilities.
- Square: 624 possibilities.
- Full: 3744 possibilities.
- Color: 5108 possibilities.
- Continuation: 10,200 possibilities.
- Three of a kind: 54,912 possibilities.
- Double pairs: 123,552 possibilities.
- Pairs: 1,098,240 possibilities.
- Height: 1,302,504 possibilities.
You may notice that the rarer a combination, the higher up in Texas Hold’em Poker combination hierarchy.
Is There a Tie or Not in Combinations in Texas Hold’em Poker?
Yes, there are times when the hands are tied, although one hand often wins over the other in poker as a combination consists of 5 cards. The cards are, therefore, all compared.
The first case is the combination of different ranks.
When two players both have a hand of the same level, either a four-of-a-kind or a pair, the higher-ranked hand wins. For example, a square of Aces will always win over a square of 10 since the Ace is stronger than the 10.
When two players both have hands of the same level, either a straight flush, flush, flush, or high card, the rank of the higher card wins. In the event of a tie on the highest card, we can decide between hands on the second highest card and so on.
When two Fulls face-off, the hand with the highest 3-card combination wins. For example, a King’s full house by four wins over a Jacks’s full house by Aces. Indeed, the group of 3 Kings is stronger than the group of 3 Jacks.
When two double pairs face-off, the pair with the higher rank wins. This means that a double pair of Kings by three will be stronger than a double pair of Queens by Jacks.
But these are not the only cases where there is still a winner in poker despite an apparent tie. Here’s what happens when two hands have the same level (flush, pair, etc.) and rank (King, Queen, Jack, etc.):
When two colors clash, and when the high card is the same, we compare the rank of the second-best card, then that of the third, of the fourth, until comparing the 5th card to see if there is a case superiority or if the pot must be shared between the players still in the game.
Let’s take an example :
The two players have the following hands:
7 ♢ 6 ♡
K ♧ 5 ♡
On a board Q ♡ J ♡ T ♡ 3 ♡ 2 ♡.
As a rule, says, we compare the first card, then the second, then the third. From the fourth, the six wins over the 5; the first-hand wins because it consists of Q ♡ J ♡ T ♡ 6 ♡ 3 ♡, while the second hand is composed of Q ♡ J ♡ T ♡ 5 ♡ 3 ♡.
What about a Full?
Let’s take another example with the board K ♧ K ♢ 3 ♡ Q ♤ J ♢:
The first player has K ♡ Q ♢
The second player has K ♤ J ♤
The first comparison is made on the regrouping of the three cards, the three of a kind. Since the Kings are tied, we look at the second group of cards, the pair. With Q being stronger than J, the first-hand wins with K ♧ K ♢ K ♡ Q ♤ Q ♢ over the first player who only has K ♧ K ♢ K ♤ J ♤ J ♢.
The last case, and that of a real tie, is when all five cards have the same rank or the hand has exactly the same level. No kicker separates the hands. In this situation, the pot is then divided between the players still in the game.