Poker Cards vs Poker Dice When computing probability of certain types of poker hands (such as a flush or a 2-pair), it seems convenient to not consider the order of the hands but to only consider the number of ways to choose the hands. In this case, the total number of outcomes is ${52}\choose{5}$
In poker dice, we roll five 6-sided dice. When computing the probability of certain outcomes, it seems more convenient to consider the ordered outcomes of the 5 dice, and in this case the total number of outcomes is $6^5$.
What is the main reason for considering order in the first case but not the latter? Is it because all of the 52 cards are distinct while all of the dice are the same? I know that either technique can be used when computing probabilities, but is there a rule of thumb when to use one technique over the other (order or unordered)? How would we compute poker dice probabilities without using order? E.g., $$P(aabbc)$$ where $a, b,c $ are distinct numbers?
 A: Is it because all of the 52 cards are distinct while all of the dice are the same?
Indeed. The main reason is that every single card in poker is unique (the 7 of clubs is not the same card as the 7 of heart) while the same dice result can be reached by different individual dice outcome (6-5 can mean that first die shows a 6 and second die shows a 5, or the other way around).
When building our probabilistic universe, what we want is that each outcome has exactly the same odds, so that we can count and sum favourable cases in an easy way.
Because every single poker card is different, the odds of each individual poker hand are exactly the same and equal to $1/\binom{52}{5}$. We don't need to worry if the first card dealed is 7H and the second KC or the other way around. The hands "4 of a kind of sevens with the Ace of heart" and "Royal Quinte Flush of Diamonds" have exactly the same odds of occuring, and that means we can build our universe on hands.
With dice however, not every combination has the same odds of occuring: the combination"6-6-6-6-6" is 120 times more rare than the combination "1-2-3-4-5". That means we cannot build an universe on dice unordered combination outcomes (well, we can, but that would be useless for solving problems). However, if we consider the dice have colours, or that their are thrown one at a time and the order of the outcome matters, then we have elementary events with the same odds of occuring: the ordered result "6-6-6-6-6" has exactly the same odds of occuring ($6^{-5}$) as the ordered result "4-2-5-1-3".
With poker cards, we choose an universe of $\binom{52}{5}$ equiprobabilistic elementary events: poker hands. 
With five dice, we choose an universe of $6^5$ equiprobabilistic elementary events: ordered dice outcomes.
A: 
Is it because all of the 52 cards are distinct while all of the dice are the same?

No, that's not the difference, and the way you can tell that's not the difference is that the dice could all be different (painted different colors or something) and nothing would change. 
The difference is that when you draw cards out of a deck you do so without replacement; a card you draw can never be drawn again, whereas rolling a particular roll on a die doesn't affect what happens to the other dice. If you drew cards with replacement you'd get $52^5$ possibilities just as if you were rolling a $52$-sided die.  
