This is a very stupid question I think anyways but I could never understand how the rankings of the different types of hands work. Which hand is higher then the next and how can you tell?

http://www.pagat.com/vying/pokerrank.html#standard

Thank you so much Betty. Everyone asks me to play poker and I didn't want to look stupid. lol

Glad to help.

Trust me, the first time you go and join a homegame, you're going to look stupid no matter how hard you try not to. Just go with the flow, and enjoy some quality time with your buddies. Just, don't go to a public cardroom until you're pretty well versed, otherwise you'll be one of those players I want to strangle.

Learning what beats what is only part of learning to play. You also need to know which hands are worth playing. Don't start playing for money until you understand the basics. :)

And most importantly, always remember. . . . liquor in the front, poker in the rear. :|

general rule of thumb for a beginning homegame player playing with their friends....

ace/anything
any pocket pair (2 cards of the same value)
any 2 cards over a 9 (so a queen-9, or a jack-10)
any face card suited with any other card (king-4 both of clubs)

This is a very, very liberal starting hand guide, but it should keep you from getting bored quickly but at the same time start you on your way to playing not-losing poker.

And I assume you'll be playing hold'em, as the entire noob homegame crowd always does, so ways to sound cool at a homegame... knowing what certain holecards are nicknamed.

My favorite is the Gay Waiter (Q-3) cuz its a queen with a tray (they call 3s treys in poker, and 2s deuces)
A-8 is called the deadman's hand

there's a bunch, but those are my 2 favorite nicknames (but definitely not my favorite hands)

A-8 is called the deadman's hand
Without Googling the answers, why is it named that? What cards consist of the Deadman's Hand? (It isn't just A 8.) What game was being played when the reason for the Deadman's Hand came about?

I know the answers. :p

Anyway, good advice, assuming she's playing Hold 'Em. :nice:

Also, try this site for learning the basics of Hold 'Em. http://www.pokertips.org/strategy/shorthand.php

OK, without google....

because Wild Bill Hikcock (sp?) was shot dead, and that was the hand he was holding. Actually, there's some debate over whether or not that was the actual hand he was holding, I think the minority report has it as an A-7.

I've heard the suits before, think it was the ace of spades and something else, but I know its offsuit.

The game? I want to say 5-stud, but I'm really not sure.

Do you play? I mean, actually play, not "Yeah, I've played a few homegames and watch all the TV programs and I've even gone to a cardroom!" but I mean "I prefer the stakes at the 6-12 but my trapping style of play works well against the more aggressive 10-20 players, so once my bankroll is at 300 big bets I'm going to move up a level and see how I do"

Very good. It was two pair, Aces and 8s, I believe the 9d was the fith card, but it depends on the source.

I'm not sure about the game either, now that I think about it. :p I think it was 5 card draw, but may have been stud.

Do you play? I mean, actually play, not "Yeah, I've played a few homegames and watch all the TV programs and I've even gone to a cardroom!"
Nope. There isn't a casino within 500 miles of me. I've played a tournament and used to play all the time at work though (equivalent of home games). I know how to play, I just don't have the opportunity to do so.

Ahhh, sucker. I live within 50 miles of close to 10 cardrooms, and everyone from LA thinks that that's really far.

That's what the internet is for. Its not quite the same, but its a great way to try out different strategies and tactics for how to play a hand, because of the sheer number of hands/hour you get to see as compared to a real cardroom. If you want to play for free, but actually play for something, go to ESPN.com, poker section, and sign up. The tournament competition gets pretty tough, and if you make it to the final 4, 5 tables the play is actually comparable to that of a real live money tournament.

Oh, and I was originally thinking it was 5-draw, but then I realized that he had 2 pair, so it couldn't have been 5-draw or omaha, and they weren't playing hold'em back during his time, so I think it had to be 5-stud or 7-stud, time to use google now....

nope, one site mentions it was 5-draw, and that he had black aces and black 8s

I think Omaha was invented after Hold 'Em as a variation of it.

Oh, and truthfully I hate internet play. People will call a big bet with a jack deuce off suit. Nobody does that in real life with real money. :mad:

You're wrong, you're 100% dead-wrong about that. Its one of the gripes about internet play that doesn't hold a lot of water. Yes, people play looser online, but you wouldn't believe some of the hands that have called me in anything from 3/6 games to the 400 buy-in 5/10 blind no limit, or even the 20/40 limit games. Its unreal. The BIG secret that grinders who make money off of poker don't want everyone to know is that by simply playing "right", you're not going to make money. By playing "right" consistently against players who play "wrong" is the only way you're going to win in the long run, especially when factoring in the rake.

Every time you get bad beat, you should welcome it. If people only played good hands against you, would you ever win? You can only make money off of chumps. It pisses me off, too (http://www.discussanything.com/forums/showthread.php?t=80748), but you have to accept it as a part of the game.

If you could play one-on-one basketball for money against Kobe Bryant, would you? No, because its about a guaranteed loss. But, people are willing to play blackjack at casinos for hours upon hours with the ugly end of a 47/53 odds play if they play book because they think they can win in the short run. Same with poker. You just gotta act like the casinos act. "Hey, you called my all-in with a Q-8 suited and rivered 2-pair to beat my rockets! Thanks for going on a 8-1 draw against me with that much money, here's a beer so that I can convince you to stay longer so I can win my money back!" Its hard, and no one ever fully succeeds, but if you don't have the heart to think that way, poker's a tough hobby.