Fri, 03/25/2011 – 20:14 – PokerPages Staff

Here is an overview of the ranking of poker hands for the beginner poker player.  A beginner poker player needs to know which poker hands outrank the other hands.  It is important because the rank of a poker hand is decided by the difficulty and frequency with which the hand shows up in play.  Therefore the highest-ranking poker hand is the least likely to be a common occurrence during a game.

The highest-ranking poker hand is a Royal Flush.  A-K-Q-J-10 are all of the same suit.  One notch down is a Straight Flush that is any sequence of five cards in the same suit other than a royal flush.  Next is four of the same card, one from each of the four suits; an example would be Jh-Jd-Jc-Js.  A full house is the next ranking hand.  A full house is made up of three of one denomination and two of another.  An example would be 7h-7d-7s-3d-3c.  A flush is next, and is made of having all the same suit, but no consecutive five cards run.  An Example would be Qh- 10h-8h-3h-2h. A straight follows here and that is a sequence of five cards, but not of the same suit.  An example would be 10s-9d-8h-7s-6c.  Three of a kind, two pair, a pair and high card complete the ranking of hands.

Beginner poker players can learn more about playing poker by visiting PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the internet for poker related learning.  Afterwards, why not test those skills by playing free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages section Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker betting, tips, bets, and strategies.

Tue, 02/15/2011 – 00:49 – PokerPages Staff

Tilt is a poker term for mental frustration that disrupts your ability to play your best game.  When a player is on tilt, that player acts according to their frustration level rather than according to rational decision-making.  The beginner poker player must learn to control or eliminate tilt in order to have success.

The most common cause of tilt is a bad beat.  In poker, a bad beat is a term for losing with a strong, favorable hand to an opponent who wins with a weak, inferior hand.  Generally, cards on the board improve the weak player’s hand.
 
Dealing with tilt is an essential aspect of poker.  The beginner player cannot allow emotional frustration interfere with their game play and must always apply their best strategy.

The first step to controlling tilt is to recognize that you are experiencing tilt.  Once a player recognizes that they are on tilt, they can employ strategies to control it. 

The most commonly suggested way to overcome tilt is to understand that success in poker is viewed over the long term, not the short term.  With this view, you can simply disregard uncommon outcomes.  Statistically, losing these hands is a result of variance in the game of poker, not bad strategy.

To learn more, check out PokerSchoolOnline, the best source on the Internet for poker related learning.  Afterwards, why not test those skills by playing free at PokerStars.net.  Also, check out the PokerPages section Poker Information and Poker Articles for more poker betting, tips, bets, and strategies.