Traffic Lights System for Ranking & Weighting Poker Hands for Bets

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Traffic Lights: Green, Amber and Red are used to rank and weight 2-card hands based on probabilities of winning games. The system gives each card a score. Extra points are given for: Pairs, Suited and Connected cards. This is justified because it increases the Ways-of-Winning and the number of outs. A pair-in-the-hand often wins the game. Having Suited Cards increases the chances of a Flush. Connected Cards increase the chances of a straight. Having two Court Cards increases the chances of getting a high pair.

Generally any pair with one card <7, except A & K is a poor bet , with Q & J combinations only worthy for 2-3 players. Number of Ways of winning is an extra consideration which is incorporated into the bonus scores system for pairs connected and suited and all A cards. The scoring system is based on the probabilities of winning with a hand of two cards.
See Resources for analysis of how the hand scores relate to the probabilities.

These Traffic Lights Rules is related to the Thrice is Nice Rule-of-Thumb. NOTE: There are 169 possible two-card combos that can be dealt. Of these about 30 meet the criteria below (>7) => about 1:5 deals.

RULES OF THUMB for Starting Pairs || RED shows extra options-few players

No Card < 7 EXCEPT A & K Combos SUITED
All => AA AK AQ AJ A10 A9 A8 A7 |+| SUITED A6 A5 A4 A3 A2 early
All => KK KQ KJ K10 K9 K8, K7      |+| SUITED K6 K5 K4 K3 K2 early few players
All => QQ QJ Q10                            |+| SUITED Q9 Q8 Q7 early few players
All => JJ                                           |+| SUITED J10
PAIRS > 7                                         (others early for Triples)
Adjacent and Adjoining Cards >7 & SUITED

The System

Card Scores

Extra Scores

Traffic Lights Ranking

Simplified Traffic Lights Ranking Rules

Lime Green - Best Bets
Lime Green - Best Bets - Score > 9
Green - Good Bets
Green - Good Bets -Score = 8
Orange - Cautious Bets
Orange - Cautious Bets - Score 4 to 7
Red - Poor Bets
Red - Poor Bets Score < 7

Traffic Lights Ranking - Full Details & Hand Listings

Note: Pairs with more than two ways of winning are shown in RED

Lime Green - Best Bets Rules

Lime Green Hand Rank Scores

Green - Good Bets Rules

Green Hand Rank Scores

Orange - Cautious Bet Rules

Orange Hand Rank Scores

Red - Rare Bet Rules

  • No bets when one card is < 7
  • EXCEPT
  • Cards BOTH suited & connected
  • Q6, Q5, Q4, Q3, Q2 suited
  • J6, J5, J4, J3, J2 suited
  • T6, T5, T4, T3, T2 suited
  • Red Hand Rank Scores