Hand Evaluation in Texas Holdem - Flop

Since poker is a quite complex game, it is not possible to discuss all of the strategies for a particular combination of cards on the flop. However, there are some standards that should be met in order to earn money.

The basics

• The evaluation of a hand under the following criteria
  • Made hand – a complete hand
  • Draw – a hand lacking one card to become a made hand
  • Trash hand – a hand with a minimal odds for success
• Analysis of a table
  You should determine what kind of hand (from the three above) you have. It is important because even the strongest preflop hand, that is A A  with a hypothetical flop of   T 9 8 can be already behind and almost without chances for improvement. For that reason, pay attention to what is on a table. Are there:
  • many possible draws, for example T 9 8
  • no chances for draws, for example 2 8 Q
• Number of opponents
  The more opponents at a flop, the higher probability that one of them has hit the flop and has a strong hand or a strong draw.
• Preflop play
  It is very important to notice how individual players have played their cards on the preflop. Has any of them raised and how many raises there were. Such a quick analysis will help you evaluate the strength of an opponent’s hand.

Evaluation of hands

The analysis of your hand cannot be limited only to whether you have a made hand, draw or a trash hand. Each of these categories, depending on situation, has also certain subcategories.

Made hand

♣ Strong made hands – It is a combination which in the majority of cases guarantees success. Obviously, the strongest and always winning is a royal straight flush, then four of a kind, full house, flush, straight and three of a kind.

♣ Medium made hands – These are cards with which you can win at the showdown, but you should be careful. If the table abounds in draws, you should consider folding if the opponents are aggressive. However, with such cards it is worth getting to the showdown with a low pot. Examples may include two pairs or TPTK (top pair top kicker) AJ with a flop of 8,4,J.

♣ Weak made hands – such hand usually turns out to be weaker at the showdown, but should be treated as a point of departure for completing a stronger hand. If the pot is small, it is worth staying in a deal. For example, A 9 with the flop of 9 T 2

Draw

Draws are hands that need one card or more to become complete hands. We draw to the best hands, so for example, our hand is A K flop: J Q 6 . In this case you draw to the royal straight flush, straight or flush. However, consider other situation: your hand is T T ,  flop: A 2 3 - do not enter a big pot. There are too many hands that beat yours and even if you get another T, you will be usually behind. We can distinguish two types of draws: strong and weak. Strong draws have at least 8 outs, whereas weak – less than 8. You can read about outs and odds in our other article.

Trash Hand

Obviously, you do not play trash hands, unless you can for free view the next cards. Trash hands are, for instance 8 7 with a flop of K Q J . You should treat a backdoor str8 (two cards needed to form a straight) as a trash hand, because even getting T9 does not ensure you the highest hand possible, since the higher straight will be already on the table.

Summary

In this article you have learnt how to evaluate the strength of a hand at a flop and when it is worth playing with a particular hand. Moreover, you now know what category does your hand (which you compose of community and hole cards) belong to. Other issues, such as the betting value in particular situations or special strategies, are discussed in separate articles.