Poker Hand Ranking
If you are interested in becoming a successful poker player, then you should definitely spend some time learning more about poker hand ranking. This advice is useful for almost every type of poker including Texas hold’em poker. In this article, we will explain all 5-card poker hands starting from the best hand in this casino game – the royal flush – all the way to so-called high hand cards that don’t have a pair. Try to memorize this hand ranking list and enjoy playing!
Watch this Video About Poker Hand Ranking First:
Royal Flush –
five cards that belong to the same suit in a row starting with an Ace as the highest card. Keep in mind that this is the strongest hand ranking in poker.
Straight Flush –
five cards that belong to the same suit in a row.
Four of a Kind –
four of a kind, or quads as some people call it, is a poker hand that consists of four cards that have the same value. The fifth card is a random card. However, in case more than one player has four of a kind, the cards with higher ranking will decide the winner. In case more than one player has the same hand with cards that have the same value (multiple deck poker), the unmatched, random card will decide the winner. Obviously, the highest card will win.
Full House –
a poker hand that consists of five cards – three of a kind and a pair. In case more than one player has a full house, the poker player with three cards that have the highest value wins. Once again, the winner among two or more players with identical three cards (multiple decks use) will be determined by checking the value of the pair.
Flush –
a poker hand like this comes with five cards that belong to the same suit, but without any particular order. If there are two flushes, the poker player that has the highest ranking card wins.
Straight –
five cards in a row that consists of cards from at least 2 different suits. If there are a few players with a straight, the player that has the highest cards in the row is a winner.
Three of a Kind –
in simple words, three cards that belong to the same rank. The remaining two cards don’t have the same value or rank. Some people call these poker hands sets or trips. In a situation where more than one player has three of a kind (in case there is more than one deck in play), players use kickers to resolve the tie.
Two Pair –
once again, we don’t have to explain a lot to help you get familiar with this poker hand. In case you have a hand like this, you simply have two different pairs of same cards with the same value. Obviously, if there is more than one player with two pairs, the one that has the highest ranking pair is a winner and if two or more players have a pair with the same value (if there is more than one deck involved), the kicker will show the winner.
One Pair –
in case you have a hand with 2 cards of the same rank, then you have a pair. The other three cards belong to different tanks. If there is more than one player with a pair, the pair with the highest value is a winner. The kicker comes into play when more than one player has a pair with exactly same value (multiple decks).
High Card –
a term used to describe any five card hand where one of the players has a higher card. So, there is no hand, and the player with the highest card is a winner.
See all in This Pic:
Other Important Rules for Poker Hands
As we said before, there is more than one type of poker out there, but poker hands are more or less the same, so these poker rules are universal:
- Individual Rank – Every single card has the following rank starting from lowest to highest no matter of the type of suit involved – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace.
- A Five Card Hand – Poker hands have five cards even in cases where the player has over five cards that they can use. In cases like this, the best five-card combination is played.
- Aces Can Be Used in Two Different Ways – Aces can be used as low (as number 1) or as high when they are part of a straight flush or ordinary straight.
- Suits can be valueless and valuable – The suit of cards plays a crucial role when players are interested in making a flush or a straight flush. They don’t have any numeric value in this case.
- Deal Order is not Relevant – Poker hands come with the exact same ranking regardless of the order in which they are dealt in.
- Equal Rank or Split Pot – in case there is more than one hand that have identical rank, the pot is shared in equal parts. Of course, this is the case only when there are no kickers involved or when the kickers come with the same value. For those who didn’t know, a kicker represents the highest individual hole cars and it serves to determine the winner in cases of a split.
