TexasHoldemPoker-UK

[Andy]

Here is the definitive guide to who wins in various showdown situations so please give it a read BEFORE posting a question about this type of situation:

The primary rule to remember when deciding who wins the showdown is always that the winning hand is decided on the best 5 cards out of the 7 available to each player. The 7 cards are of course:

The two cards they were dealt (their 'hole cards')
The 5 community cards in the centre of the table

Here are some examples:


Scenario 1.
Two people have a flush, who wins?

A flush (5 cards of the same suit) is always ranked by it's highest card so if you hold the Ace as part of your flush, you are holding the best possible flush (also known as the 'nut flush')

The part that confuses people is when the highest card in both players' flushes is part of the community cards. For example:

Player 1 holds : Jh 2h
Player 2 holds : 7h 6h

The community cards are : Kh Kc 3h 4s 8h

Both players are holding a flush with the highest card being the Kh which is on the table. In this case, the NEXT highest ranked card of each player is considered. Player 1's next best is the Jh in his hand. Player 2's next best is the 8h which is on the table. Player 1 is therefore the winner of the pot because his Jack beats Player 2's 8.

NB. The only way a flush can EVER split a pot is when the best 5 cards of the same suit are all 5 community cards. This is super rare but nevertheless can occur. Even if the players in the showdown hold other cards of the same suit, they are inconsequential if none of their face values beat the board because the 6th and 7th cards do not count.

Scenario 2.
Two people have two pair, who wins?

If a player holds two pair, the important pair is the higher of the two pairs. In a showdown situation where two or more players declare two pair, the player with the highest pair wins the hand. For example (ignoring suits):

Player 1 holds : K J
Player 2 holds : A 2

The community cards are : K J A 2 6

Player 1 has 2 pair - Kings and Jacks
Player 2 has 2 pair - Aces and Twos

Player 2 wins by virtue of his highest pair being larger than Player 1's highest pair (Aces vs Kings). Player 1 may hold Jacks which are higher than Player 2's Twos but they are inconsequential.

NB. Two players may hold the same 2 pair in which case the 5th card is considered. For example (again ignoring suits):

Player 1 holds : A 10
Player 2 holds : A 7

The community cards are : A 3 3 5 9

In this case, both players have the same two pairs - Aces and Threes but Player 1 will win because his fifth card (his kicker here) is the 10 he is holding whereas Player 2's is the 9 that is on the table.

Scenario 3.
Two people have a full house, who wins?

A full house is having 3 of a kind AND a pair as your 5 cards eg AAA88. It is possible that two players can both declare different full houses on the same hand in which case it is the face value of the 3 of a kind that decides the winner. For example (ignoring suits once more):

Player 1 holds : A 8
Player 2 holds : J J

The community cards are : A J 8 8 4

Both players have a different full house - Player 1 has 'Eights over Aces' (888AA) and Player 2 has 'Jacks over Eights' (JJJ88). Player 2 wins because his three of a kind is Jacks while Player 1's three of a kind is 8s.

Scenario 4.
Two people have a straight, who wins?

A straight is 5 cards in consecutive rank order, regardless of suit. Two players can declare different straights on the same hand and it is the highest card in the straight that decides it. For example (ignoring suits):

Player 1 holds : 6 7
Player 2 holds : Q J

The community cards are : A 2 8 9 10

Player 1 holds a straight from 6 to 10 but Player 2 holds a straight from 8 to Queen. Player 2 wins because the highest card in his straight is the Queen which beats the highest card in Player 1's hand which is just a 10.

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If anyone spots an error or wishes me to add more, please PM me and I will update this message as required.

- Andy