Ebarassing Newbie Questions...

[djhoneybear]

I'm a reasonably smart guy. I recently got the poker bug after never playing in my life and have read many of the books recommended on this forum (altohugh all in the last month). I've started to play on-line and have been a slight winner so far. I realize today that I don't understand some of the more subtle differences between hands.

Examples:

There is a straight on the board after the river. I hold an Ace in the top of the straight and my opponent holds a King. Whose hand wins?

I hold a Ace 10. My opponent Holds Ace Jack. The flop comes A, 6, 6. The turn and river come 2 the Queen. Who wins the hand?

Basically I holdem there are plenty of situations where it isn't merely a matter of who has the better kicker or the higher straight and I'd like to start realizing when my hand isn't as good as it looker or its better than it looks. (I've already learned that a low second pair doesn't mean much with a higher pair on the board - oops)

Thanks for the help.

[courttv_addict]

If you have the Ace high straight and he has a King high straight, you would win...if that's what you're asking.

You would have two pair, Aces and Queens with a ten kicker and he would have two pair, Aces and Queens with a higher kicker, Jack and would win.

[Sheriff Fatman]

I can interpret both of your questions in different ways so I've included a few examples in the hope of hitting the right one:

1) A straight on the board implies all 5 straight cards are community cards, which would generally give rise to a split pot.

eg A board of T-J-Q-K-A with hands of AJ (you) and KJ (opponent) would be a split pot as your hole cards are now irrelevant.

The same applies to a board such as 4-5-6-7-8 with the same holdings as above. Poker hands are 5 card hands so there is no benefit to you holding an Ace 'kicker' compared to the opponents King in this situation. You are both playing the 5 community cards.

If, on the other hand, you have a board of Q-J-T-9-8 and you hold AK compared to your opponents KQ then you win with an Ace high straight.

2) I'm not sure whether you are referring to a final board of A-6-6-Q-Q or A-6-6-2-Q so I'll do both.

AT vs AJ on a board of A-6-6-Q-Q results in a win for AJ. Both hands play two pair, Aces over Queens, but the Jack kicker beats the Ten kicker.

AT vs AJ on a board of A-6-6-2-Q results in a split pot. Both hands play two pair, Aces over 6's, but they share the Queen kicker on the board.

Hopefully, there's the answer to your question in there somewhere.

Sheriff

[stigmata]

For the second hand:


You: A T
Opponent: A J

Board: A 6 6 2 Q

So your best five-card hand is: AA 66 Q
Your opponets best five-card hand is: AA 66 Q

So you share the pot. Neither kicker is playing in this hand. The opponent was beating you all the way, but his kicker got "counterfieted" on the river after a card higher than his kicker fell (note that he would have still won if the board wasnt paired).

For further discussion of this see the "hidden outs" section of Small Stakes Hold'em.