Poker hands rank from very weak to very strong, with the strongest hands being Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House and Ace High. These hands get their name because they are the simplest to understand. Your odds of winning any given game are very slim if you don’t possess any of these hands. But what happens when you have a 2-5-6 hand?
Forbes ranked the odds of winning various hands in game from easiest to hardest. Here are the results:
Royal Flush (K♥, Q♥, J♥, A♥)
If you’re not familiar, the Royal Flush is the hand that contains all the cards of the same suit from King to Ace. The suit is irrelevant; all the cards must be of the same value in order for this hand to be ranked highest. This is the easiest hand to win because it requires no skill. You simply need to have the highest card in each suit. Unless your opponent has one of these hands, you’ll almost certainly win the hand. The best hand to win in this situation is Royal Flush. According to the website, the odds of winning any given hand are 1 in 56.84 games.
Straight Flush (8♠, 7♠, 6♠, 5♠, 4♠, 3♠, 2♠, 1♠)
A Straight Flush is similar to a Royal Flush, but the values of the cards are more important than the suit. A Straight Flush requires that the cards be in numerical order (most to least) from 8 to 2, but they don’t have to be of the same suit. So, for example, if you have 3 of spades and 3 of hearts, you have a Straight Flush because there is a requirement that the cards be in order. Even though it’s not explicitly stated, the rule is that the cards in a straight flush must have consecutive numbers and be of the same suit. The best hand to win in a Straight Flush is also Royal Flush, which is not a surprise given the similarity. The odds of winning any given hand in a Straight Flush are 1 in 56.39 games.
Four of a Kind (K♥, Q♥, J♥, A♥)
A Four of a Kind is the hand that occurs when you have four cards of the same value. It must be noted that not all four cards must be of the same value in order for this hand to be ranked. For example, if you have three hearts and a pair of diamonds, you would have a Four of a Kind because the values of the cards are the same. The hand is named Four of a Kind because it represents a straight flush on steroids. The ace and the two cards on either side of it (looking at the example above) must be of the same suit. There is no requirement that the cards be in numerical order, but it’s preferable to have a mixture of values and suits. The best hand to win in a Four of a Kind is also Royal Flush, as expected.
Full House (K♥, Q♥, J♥, A♥, 6♦, 5♦, 4♦, 3♦, 2♦, 1♦)
In a Full House, you either have three of a kind or you have two pairs. It is possible for there to be four cards of the same value, but that is fairly rare. The best hand to win in a Full House is Three of a Kind because more often than not, you’ll be catching three of the same value. Three in a Full House is also known as a ‘natural’, which is a combination of the words ‘natural’ and ‘straight’. The odds of winning any given hand in a Full House are 1 in 19.73 games.
Ace High (A♥, 2♠, 3♠, 4♠, 5♠, 6♠, 7♠, 8♠)
Finally, we have the Ace High. An Ace High is simply an ace plus the two adjacent cards on either side of it. This is the strongest hand in poker because it requires the most skill to play correctly. It is also the only hand that can beat any other, regardless of the skill level of the players. The best strategy for an Ace High is first, bet high and then double up when someone calls. The odds of winning any given hand in an Ace High are 1 in 5.29 games.
What are the Odds of a 2-5-6 Hand in Poker?
As you can see from the table above, the odds of a 2-5-6 hand are very low. But that doesn’t mean they’re impossible to win. Depending on the number of players at the table, the odds might be in your favor. But you have to be prepared to play aggressively, as the hands above demonstrate. And you have to be lucky. So, even though the odds are low, you still have to try your luck occasionally in order to win some poker games. Good luck out there.