Free Online Poker Hands Explained

One of the most confusing aspects of free online poker is the difference between the poker hands. There are ten possible hands to achieve in a typical online poker game. Each hand has its own position in the hierarchy of hands that governs the game. Hands are given their position in this hierarchy based on how difficult and rare it is for players to create this hand.

Each hand in free online poker is composed of five cards. If playing a community free online poker game like Texas Hold’Em or Omaha, the cards can be a mix of private pocket cards and shared community cards. The object of the game is to try to create the best 5-card hand possible in order to beat the remaining players and win the pot of chips. Without a proper knowledge of what hand beats what hand, however, players cannot bet appropriately on their games.

The poker hands High Card, Pair, Two Pair, and Three-of-a-Kind are all self-explanatory. The next card in the hierarchy is a Straight. A Straight is a sequenced 5-card hand that goes in consecutive order (e.g. 5-6-7-8-9). These cards do not need to be the same suit (if they are, it’s called a Straight Flush).

A Flush in free online poker means that all of a player’s five cards are of the same suit (Diamonds, Hearts, Clubs, Spades).

A Full House is a hand composed of one Pair and Three-of-a-Kind.

A Royal Flush is a Flush and an Ace-high Straight combined.