Start with the six card structures
Read the three cards before considering a result. Matching ranks form a trail or pair. Consecutive ranks can form a sequence. A shared suit changes a run into a pure sequence or groups other ranks into a color. Remaining hands are compared by their individual ranks.
| Standard order | Sample cards | Structure |
|---|---|---|
| 1Trail | A♠ A♥ A♦ | Three matching ranks |
| 2Pure sequence | K♠ Q♠ J♠ | A run in one suit |
| 3Sequence | 9♠ 8♥ 7♦ | A run across suits |
| 4Color | A♥ J♥ 8♥ | One suit, other ranks |
| 5Pair | Q♠ Q♦ 9♥ | Two matching ranks |
| 6High card | A♠ J♦ 8♣ | Read ranks in order |
Practice round one: spot the kicker
Compare 9♠ 9♥ K♦ with 9♦ 9♣ Q♠. Both hands have nines as the pair. The remaining king and queen decide the comparison under the ordinary model, so the king kicker leads.
Use the comparison desk to enter literal cards and read its explanation. Keep its chosen A-2-3 convention visible when you move from pairs to runs.
Practice round two: separate suit and sequence
Compare K♥ J♥ 7♥ with 8♣ 7♣ 6♣. Each hand shares a suit, but only the second also runs consecutively. The pure-sequence category leads the color before the king's individual rank is considered.
Practice round three: read the selected mode
The standard chart describes an ordinary high-hand task. A low-hand objective or a declared wild-card role adds another interpretation step. Name the mode first, identify its objective and then read the physical cards with that rule in view.
Moonfrog's Gold listing names several variations within its menu. Keep those publisher mode instructions separate from this site's ordinary literal-card model and use the format library to identify which rule changes.
Build a short routine
- Classify one hand aloud.
- Identify the rank or kicker that decides it.
- Compare one similar example.
- Read the explanation after your answer.
- Choose the next category to learn.
The ten-hand drill provides a browser-local category lesson after page load. It is a site learning tool alongside the Moonfrog app guide. Keep a short learning goal and a planned finish time for the session.