Many people compare their hand to the flop and quickly categorize it. They think, "I have top pair," or, "I have a straight draw," playing every top pair and every straight draw the same way. This approach is far too simplistic.

There are many variables that affect the value of top pair or a straight draw (or any other hand). This section and the next present several examples of each hand type and examine the important differences.

For each example assume that you are in a multi way pot." Examples within the same category are listed in order of descending strength. When two hands are given the same ranking (e.g., "strong" or "marginal"), the example that comes first is the stronger hand. Use these rough interpretations for each ranking: