When Playing Online Poker you generally have about 20 to 30 seconds, to make your decision. Therefore you have to be capable of analyzing the board cards in a split second. The more time you require to analyze the board cards, the less time you will have to think about what you should do.
We have arranged 9 scenarios, try to answer all of the following questions for each scenario:
1. What hand according to the poker hand ranking do you have?
2. What are the Nuts (the best possible hand) with the board cards shown?
3. What are the most likely dangers for your hand? (Which other hands would beat you, which hands could you possibly beat by bluffing, which hands would call a raise no matter how much you bet etc.)
The answers to the questions can be found right at the bottom of this page!
Before starting, make sure you really know the Poker Hand Ranking off by heart.
Scenario 1
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 2
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 3
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 4
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 5
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 6
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 7
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 8
Your Cards: Board:
Scenario 9
Your Cards: Board:
Answers to the questions:
Answer to Scenario 1 Your hand: Four of a kind. Four Aces and a Queen Kicker. Best possible Hand (the Nuts): You've got the Nuts! Looking at the board cards, it is not possible that anyone could have a better hand than you, i.e. a Straight Flush or a Royal Flush. Dangers and Possibilities: There certainly is no danger of you losing the hand here, because you have the Nuts! The possibility of you winning a big pot is not that big either, because the two Aces on the board usually will scare your opponents still involved in the hand. Because you have both remaining Aces, no one else will have an Ace. Probably you won't extract much value out of this hand; except someone else has a Full House (someone could have two Queens. If someone has two Diamonds as his hole cards, he could have a Flush. But generally, there won't be much money made with this board, because your opponents will not just be scared of someone having AA, but AQ or A9 are also playable hands with which you could have a Full House!
Answer to Scenario 2 Your hand: Two Pair (KK and JJ) and a Three as Kicker. Your hole cards, a pair of twos, are not worth anything anymore, because only the best five cards make a poker hand. Actually, you have the weakest possible holding (The Nut Low) in this situation. Best possible Hand (the Nuts): Having two Kings someone could have a Four Kings. The second best Hand would be JJ (Four Jack). With KJ you would also have the Nuts, because you have a Full House (Kings over Jacks KKKJJ). Because you have a King and a Jack, no one else could have a Four of a Kind. Dangers and Possibilities: You have the worst possible hand you can actually have with this board. The only way you can win the hand is by bluffing. Now it depends how the hand was played (is it likely your opponent hit anything or did the King on the River scare him?). If your opponent raises, there is just one answer: Fold!
Answer to Scenario 3 Your hand: Flush (5 Hearts), with the Aces as the highest Card (Ace High Flush)! Best possible Hand (the Nuts): With the Eight and Seven of Hearts, someone could have a Straight Flush (From the Ten of Hearts downwards). Because you have the Eight of Hearts yourself, you have the best possible Flush in this situation. A Full House or a Four of a Kind is only possible, when the five board cards contain a Pair. This is not the case here. You have the Nuts! Dangers and Possibilities: Nuts = No Danger! You probably only will extract a lot of Money out of this hand, if some one else has a lower Flush or someone hit a straight. With KJ (a hand often played by beginners), someone could have hit a Straight. But because three cards of the same are on the board, one has to take the possibility of a flush into account.
Answer to Scenario 4 Your hand: A Full House, Sevens over Eights 77788 Best possible Hand (the Nuts): If someone's hole cards are 88, he has a Four of a Kind. The second best Hand would be KK (Full House KKK88). Dangers and Possibilities: You have a very powerful Hand! The following hole cards would beat you (it is absolutely essential to realize which possible holdings could beat you!): 88, KK, TT, KT, K8, T8, 87. You would only win a lot of money against A8, and this hand does not get played often by good players! Should you run into a lot of resistance on the river (i.e. Reraises etc.), you probably are going to lose the hand, because usually no good player would risk all his money without having a Full House in this Situation. So, you can play this hand confidently, but be aware that it is possible you could be beaten! This is a typical situation when playing poker: you can only win a small pot or lose a huge one!
Answer to Scenario 5 Your hand: Flush (5 Clubs) beginning with a King Best possible Hand (the Nuts): With JJ someone could have a Four of a Kind. The second best possible Hand is AA for a Full House (AAAJJ). Dangers and Possibilities: You have a good hand! But because the board contains two Jacks, someone could beat you with a Full House. An Ace is also lying on the board. AJ is a hand, that often is played, but also AA or TT could beat you. If no one raised before the Flop, someone could be hanging around with JT. Of course, there also is a possibility that someone has a higher Flush than you, i.e. A9 of Spades etc. This probably is one of these situations where you will win a small pot or lose a big one.
Answer to Scenario 6 Your hand: A Straight, King to Nine Best possible Hand (the Nuts): Ax (x=any other card) of Hearts would be an Ace High Flush. Because the board contains no pair, it is not possible that someone has a Full House or better. Dangers and Possibilities: Once again, you have a good Hand! Only the Nut Flush can beat you! It's up to you to figure out whether your opponent has a Flush, too. (If he raised on the Flop and on the Turn, but then checks the river to you, he might well be playing AK or something similar and is now scared of the Straight and Flush possibilities. If your opponent did not raise the Flop, but called your raise on the Turn (after you completed your straight), he might well have the Nut Flush. This is a common Situation in Poker. Of course, if your opponent raises the river, it could also be a pure bluff.
Answer to Scenario 7 Your hand: Two Pair (Kings and Tens), Ace Kicker Best possible Hand (the Nuts): TT for a Four of a Kind, then KK for KKKTT Full House etc. Dangers and Possibilities: You have a mediocre Hand! Playing Heads-Up it might well be possible you have the best hand, depending on the betting in the previous betting rounds. It is not possible that anyone has a Flush or a Straight; your only concern should be your opponent holding a ten.
Answer to Scenario 8 Your hand: One Pair (of Twos), and J95 as the three remaining cards. This is the worst possible hand you could possibly have with these board cards! Best possible Hand (the Nuts): 22 for a Four of a Kind, then JJ for a Full House JJJ22, 99 for 99922 etc. Dangers and Possibilities: Your Hand is Rubbish! There is no reason to believe, that the Two on the River could have improved anyone's hand (Starting Hands which contain a Two are very rarely played), and there are no Straight or Flush possibilities offered by the board cards. This certainly is not a situation you want to attempt a Bluff. Just let the hand go!
Answer to Scenario 9
Stand up and find an other game! There are two identical cards (The two Fours of Spades) on the board. Something seems to be very fishy! ;-)
A pitty actually, before the River Card you would have had the Nut Straight... The Four Cards were all of a different suit, so there would not have been any worries about a Flush either... This example is not pure invention. At a private tournament I experienced getting two identical hole cards. I was dealt two Sixes of Hearts...
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