Poker Hand Ranking

Below is the order of the ranking of hands in poker these are ranking in the order of the highest ranking hand to the lowest ranking hand. All of these are applicable to almost all the poker variations that are out there so if you're looking to play poker then you should know these!

Royal Flush – ex. 10, J, Q, K and Ace of clubs. The highest possible hand in poker, a royal flush is a hand containing the 5 highest cards, in sequence, that are all the same suit. In other words, it is a combination of holding a flush and a straight, where the straight consists of the ten, jack, queen, king and ace. There are only 4 possible combinations of this hand.

Straight Flush – ex. 3,4,5,6 and 7 of hearts. This is the next best hand in poker and is similar to the royal flush, although, the straight can be any five cards in a sequence. Your five cards must be of the same suit (flush) and they must follow a sequence (Ace, 2, 3, 4 and 5 or 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, etc.) If two or more players are holding a straight flush, the player whose straight ends with the highest card will win the hand.

Four of a Kind – ex. 9, 9, 9, 9 along with any other card. This hand will beat any hand in poker except the straight and royal flush. It is a hand comprised of four cards with the same value (4 queens, 4 two’s, etc.) and any other card.

Full House – ex. 5, 5, 5, Q, Q. A full house is a combination of a pair and three of a kind. In other words, every one of your cards must belong to a set of two or a set of three cards of the same value. If two or more players is holding a three of kind and there are no higher hands in the game, the winner of the hand will be the player who’s three of a kind is of higher value.

Flush – ex. 3, 6, J, K and A all being hearts. This hand is comprised of 5 cards that are simply all the same suit. The order or sequence of the cards is of no importance. When two players have a flush the player holding the highest card wins.

Straight – ex. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 of any suit. Following a flush, the next highest poker hand is the straight. In order to achieve a straight you must be holding 5 consecutive cards where the suits of the five cards have no relevance. You have a straight if you are holding the 4 of clubs, the 5 of clubs, the 6 of hearts, the 7 of clubs and the 8 of hearts. Again, in the case of two players holding a straight, the player with the higher end card wins, if both straights are of equal value, then the pot is split, the players tie.

Three of a Kind – ex. 10, 10, 10, 4, K. A three of a kind is any hand that contains three cards of the same number value (3 eight’s, 3 Aces, etc.) and two other, different, cards. When two players are competing for the win with a three of a kind, the player whose three cards are of higher value wins.

Two Pair – 7, 7, J, J, 9. Two pairs is simply that, when your hand consists of two separate pairs of cards, and of course one other card to complete a 5 card hand. And as per usual, the player with the highest pair wins when there is a tie. If both players by chance are holding the same two pairs, then it is the player who is holding the higher valued fifth (or single) card who wins.

Pair – Q, Q, A, 7, 2. A pair is when you are holding two cards of the same rank. The higher of the pairs in a tie situation wins. As above, if the pairs are the same, then the high card (of the remaining three cards) wins.

High Card – ex. 4, 8, J, K, A. When you are not holding a pair, three or four of a kind, a full house, a flush or a straight, etc., your hands value will depend solely on the highest card that you are holding. In the example above, the Ace would be your high card. In the instance that none of the other players who are still participating in the hand with you are also not holding onto at least a pair, then it is the value of the high card that determines the winner. If both players are holding the same high card then it is the second highest card that determines the winner and so on. The suits of the cards in any hand (except the flush and straight/royal flush) have nothing to do with the ranking of the hand. In Poker the Ace can be counted as the low card followed by the two, three, four, etc. Or it can be and is considered the highest ranking card. With the king being the second highest, the queen the next, etc.