The Inner Charms of Texas
Hold'em
9 June 2006
By Mark Pilarski
Dear Mark,
I’m new to poker, so please excuse the two
somewhat similar Hold’em questions. When two
people both make a flush, and the highest card
is shared, is the pot split, or is the tie
broken by the second highest card in each flush?
Also, if two players have a straight using the
same five cards, again, is the pot split, or do
you use a sixth kicker card to determine the
eventual winner? Ellie N.
Let’s do basics first, Ellie, then I’ll give you
a simple little rule to remember.
A flush is a hand in which all five cards are of
the same suit. A straight is a hand composed of
five cards of consecutive rank. Example: An
Ace-2-3-4-5 is a five high straight (an Ace can
count as high or low), or a straight to the
five. An 8-9-T-J-Q is a Queen high straight, or
a straight to the Queen.
Now, Ellie, commit to memory the Five Card Rule:
Every player's final hand is made up of five
cards and five cards only. The remaining two
cards in Texas Hold’em mean diddly squat.
As to your flush question, you compare the hands
card-by-card in order to determine the winner.
Therefore, an Ace-Q-10-7-5 of spades is more
valuable than an Ace-Q-10-7-4 of spades. By
sizing up these two flush hands, you will note
that the hand with the highest card not shared,
which in this case is the fifth card, the five,
becomes the winning hand.
Of course, Ellie, the second card could
determine the winner, a Jack in one hand versus
the Queen, or the third card and so on. Only in
the case where the players have exactly the same
flush in different suits, or where two or more
players benefit from all five cards on the board
being of the same suit would there be a tie, and
the pot would be divvied up accordingly.
As for straights, the straight to the higher
card wins. After your card-by-card comparison of
your straights, and the hands are dead equal or
all five cards are shared, you split the pot.
Regarding the kicker, the highest unpaired card
in your hand; it never participates in five card
hands like straights, flushes, and full houses.
Dear Mark,
Are the odds of hitting, for instance, a
straight flush on a Triple Play video poker
machine different from that of when playing on a
single-hand machine?.Cindy B
Playing any three, five, 10, 50 or even a
100-Play video poker machine does not change the
arithmetic. Each and every hand has its own
deck, and the odds of completing a straight
flush are exactly the same, except that, when
you play a multiple play machine, you just
happen to have more chances of it’s occurring.
As for playing strategy, Cindy, play all
multiple play games as you would play regular
video poker. More chances at winning
combinations does not mean you should wander
from correct play.
Dear Mark,
Could you please give an example of the blinds
in Texas Hold’em? I am confused as to how much
they cost the players that are forced to pay
them. Manuel D.
In Texas Hold’em, a blind bet, or blind, is a
forced wager that must be posted by two players
before anybody gets a peek at their cards.
Blinds are an alternative to antes for initially
getting money in the pot. A "big blind" and
"little blind" are the terms used to refer to
the players who post these bets.
These compulsory wagers that the first two
players to the dealer’s left are required to pay
play out like this. The little blind, the first
player to the dealer's left, pays half the low
limit. Say for instance in a $10/$20 game, the
little blind’s initial contribution would be $5.
The big blind, second player to the dealer's
left, would stake the low limit, or $10 in the
$10/$20 game.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: Hold'em is a game
of calculated aggression: If your cards are good
enough for you to call a bet, they are good
enough to raise with. -- Alfred Alvarez
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