We talked about the basic hand frequencies in Texas Holdem and how you use them when you put an opponent on a range.

Poker Hand Generator ♥ ♣ Generate Hands. Three of one and two of another. Or you could think of it as 3-of-a-kind + 2-pair. Also known as a 'boat'. This is the most common out of the 'big hands' you will see in Texas Hold'em. You can win a nice chunk of money if another player ends up making a weaker hand like a flush or a straight.

Now let's look closer at what happens when cards are removed, that is, when they're not available anymore, for some reason.

Reasons for card removal

A card can be removed from the available cards for three reasons:

• You have it in your hand
• It appears on the board
• It's in an opponent's hand

The last point is basically only valid for games like seven card stud, where you get to see some of the opponents' cards. Or, of course, in holdem if a card is inadvertently displayed by a player. Or the dealer, which is not that unusual.

Adjusting your calculations

As cards are revealed during the hand, you need to constantly update your calculation (or estimation) of your hand's chances in the pot.

Firstly, of course, each action at the table causes you to modify your picture of the opponent's likely holdings. This is a subjective job, based on experience and intuition.

Secondly, though, the objective grounds for your analysis change as well. Before you can even start using your intuition and experience, you need to update the hard facts that they are based on.

As cards are revealed, the likelihoods of the opponent's possible holdings change accordingly. We'll look at the numbers and suggest a simplified method to keep track of them at the table.

Card removal for pairs

The number of combinations for pair hands is 6. This is the basic frequency for those hands. When cards are removed, the number of combinations go down rapidly:

Card removals for non-pairs

Non-pair hands come in 16 variations in an untouched deck. As cards are removed, the number of combinations goes down. But the exact numbers depend on what exact cards are gone.

For example, AK comes in 16 combinations and if one ace is removed, 12 combinations remain. But when a second card is removed, the remaining combinations depend on whether it's a second ace or an ace and a king. If two aces are gone, eight combinations remain. If it's an ace and a king, there are nine combinations left.

With three cards removed, there are either six or four combinations left. With three cards gone, there can be four, three or zero combinations left. Zero if all four aces or all four kings are gone. And so on.

The numbers in the parentheses are the average, or most likely value, that we suggest you use in your estimations. After all, you'll not be 100% accurate no matter what you do. Approximations and simplifications are fine, or even necessary.

Some examples

Below are a few examples of how you can use the numbers above. We've used the average or approximate number, and provide the exact number in parentheses.

• You have AK. The number of AK for the opponent is 9.
• You have AA. The number of AK for the opponent is 9 (actually 8).
• You have AK. The number of AA for the opponent is 3.
• You have AA. The number of AA for the opponent is 1.
• You have AK, there's an A on board. The number of AK for the opponent is 5 (actually 6).
• You have AK, there's an A on board. The number of AA for the opponent is 1.
• You have AA, there's an A on board. The number of AK for the opponent is 5 (actually 4).
• You have AA, there's an A on board. The number of AA for the opponent is 0.

Summing up the numbers

As usual, you need to sum up all the numbers and combine them with your hand's chances against each and every one of the possible hands that your opponent might hold.

In a later article, we'll show a smart way of summing up all this information to reach a decision. After all, at the poker table, only the decisions that we make are interesting. The rest is just accidental occurrences.

/Charlie River

Getting Familiar with the Texas Holdem Hands

One of the most important parts of learning Texas Holdem is getting familiar with the different winning hands. This is a major but simple step in learning poker since the hands are fairly easy to learn and memorize. Let us learn all the winning card combinations by reading the sections found below.

The Royal Flush

The Royal Flush, as the name suggests, is the best possible hand in Texas Holdem. This hand combination is made up of the five highest cards in a deck – the Ace, King, Queen, Jack and the number 10. The royal flush must have all these characters of the same suit. This means that if the Ace card bears the heart suit, all the other cards should hold the same suit on them.

Straight Flush

Next to the Royal Flush, the Straight Flush is another winning card combination. It is made of cards in a sequenced order such as 7-8-9-10-J. You can also make other Straight Flush combinations such as Ace-2-3-4-5.

Four of a Kind

Four of a Kind are a group of cards with the same rank but may have different suits. You can have a group of four Kings or four Aces with this combination. The hand with the higher four-card combination wins.

Full House

A Full House is three cards of the same kind plus a pair. For example, 3 Aces can be used plus another two cards which are a pair. The hand with the higher three-card combination wins. If for some reason the three pairs cannot be determined, use the two pairs to decide who wins.

Flush

A Flush is a hand where all of the five cards are in the same suit. For example, cards which are not sequenced in the proper order can form a winning hand if all of them bear the same suit. When the Flush ties with another player, then follow the rules for High Card.

Straight

A Straight is a five-card combination which is ranked in order but does not hold the same suit. An example of this winning combination is 3-4-5-6-7. The Ace can be taken as either a high or low card. For example, it can be used as one in an A-1-2-3-4 combination or it can also be used as the highest card in a 10-J-Q-K-A combination.

Three of a Kind

Three of a Kind is a combination of three cards of the same rank with another two cards not being a pair. A player can use J-J-J-2-3 and form this kind of hand. The hand with a higher 3-card combination is declared the winner of the game.

Two Pair

Texas Holdem 2 Card Hands

A two pair is a combination of 'two pairs of cards' with the 5th card being anything. The highest pair wins the game. However, if the hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins.

Pair

Hands In Texas Holdem Poker

A pair is a combination of two same cards and three dissimilar cards. The hand with the highest pair wins.

High Card

7 Card Texas Holdem Hands

The high card – despite its name – is the losing combination in a Texas Holdem game. If your cards do not match the combinations listed above, then the winning hand comes down to the one who holds the highest ranking card. If there is a tie on the first card, the second and the succeeding cards will be the basis of whoever wins the Texas Holdem game. Good luck!