In Hold’em, your best hand uses exactly five of the seven cards available to you. You can use both private cards, one, or neither. Choose your five before opening each answer.
These puzzles teach hand evaluation. Poker Gym’s Hold’em gym grades your selection of five cards; it does not simulate opponents, betting decisions or a complete poker strategy.
Your private cards:
2♥ 3♦
Shared board:
10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠
Which five cards make your best hand?
Use all five board cards: 10♠ J♠ Q♠ K♠ A♠. That is a royal flush. Including either private card makes the hand weaker. Every remaining player can use this same board, so every remaining player has the same best hand. Having an ace in your private cards would not break that tie.
Your private cards:
A♠ Q♥
Shared board:
K♠ K♥ 7♦ 7♣ 2♦
You have two pair. Does your queen count too?
K♠ K♥ 7♦ 7♣ A♠. The two pairs take four places. Only one place remains, and your ace is the highest available kicker. Your queen is the sixth card and contributes nothing to this five-card hand. Another player with an ace can tie this hand even if their other private card is lower than your queen; another player might also make a stronger hand, such as a full house.
Your private cards:
A♠ 2♥
Shared board:
3♦ 4♣ 5♠ K♥ K♦
Keep the pair of kings, or use a straight?
A♠ 2♥ 3♦ 4♣ 5♠. This is a five-high straight, often called a wheel. A straight beats one pair, so the kings are left out. The ace acts as 1 here; it does not make this an ace-high straight. A six-high straight would beat it. An ace can be low in A–2–3–4–5 or high in 10–J–Q–K–A; a straight cannot wrap around from king to ace to two.
Sometimes more than one selection makes an equally strong best hand. Poker Gym accepts every selection that ties the strongest five-card result. Compare the hand category first, then the ranks that break ties. Suit alone does not break a tie.
Open free Hold’em practice, choose a class and read the short lesson. Select your best five cards and confirm. After five hands, your local record shows decision accuracy. Missed selections enter your notebook with the original cards and coaching.
New Hold’em notebook entries let you select the original best five again before revealing the explanation. Equally strong selections count as correct; retry scores stay separate from gameplay accuracy and award no XP or chips. Older entries without an answer key support self-review only. Progress stays in the same browser; export a manual backup before changing devices or clearing browser data.
Tell us which puzzle helped or confused you (public; GitHub account required). Please omit personal details and save backups.
Try Jacks or Better hold decisions → · Try hit-or-stand decisions →
Written with AI assistance. All three examples checked against Poker Gym’s current evaluator and selection grader. Free browser demo; no signup, paid membership or real-money wagering. Learning hand rankings cannot guarantee gambling profits.