When playing poker, it’s essential to know what hands are worth playing and how likely they are to win. Knowing where your poker hands ranked among others is a vital part of the game, and if you don’t know them, you won’t be able to make informed decisions at the table.
The first step in learning poker rankings is understanding different types of hands. The poker card rankings are the same in all kinds of poker, but the hands vary depending on your game. For example, in Texas Hold ’em, there are flushes and straights, while Omaha has flushes and full houses.
Generally, the stronger the poker hand strength, the less likely it is to be beaten by another hand. For example, a flush will almost always beat a straight, but a full house will only sometimes beat a flush.
Here are the poker hands in order of strongest to weakest:
Royal Flush: A royal flush is an ace-high straight flush, meaning it’s both a straight and a flush, with the ace being the highest card. The royal flush is the highest hand in poker, and it’s very rare, making it difficult to hit.
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Straight Flush: A straight flush is when cards are a five-card straight that’s also a flush, meaning they are under the same suit. For example, if you have 5-6-7-8-9 clubs, that’s a straight flush. Suppose two players have a straight flush, the one with the highest cards in the straight wins. For example, 8-9-10-J-Q of clubs would beat 5-6-7-8-9 of clubs.
Four of a Kind: Four of a kind, also known as “quad,” is four cards of the same rank, like 4 aces or 4 sevens. If two players have four of a kind, the one with the higher rank wins. If two players have the same quad, the winner is determined by the rank of the remaining card.
Full House: A full house, also known as a “boat” combines three of a kind and a pair. For example, if you have K-K-K-2-2, that’s a full house. If two players have a full house, the one with the higher trio wins. So, in our example, K-K-K-2-2 would beat Q-Q-Q-A-A.
Flush: A flush is any hand where all five cards are of the same suit. For example, 5-8-9-J-Q of hearts. Flushes are ranked first by the highest card, then by the second highest card, and so on. So, in our example, 5-8-9-J-Q of hearts would lose to 5-7-9-10-J of spades because the Q is higher than the J. If two players have a flush with the same high card, the rank of the next highest card is used to determine the winner. If those are also equal, the rank of the third highest card is used, and so on.
Straight: A straight is five cards in sequential order. They don’t have to be of the same suit. For example, you could have 5-6-7-8-9 mixed suits. Straight cards are ranked by their highest card. So, in our example, 5-6-7-8-9 would beat 4-5-6-7-8 because the 9 is higher than the 8.
Three of a Kind: Three of a kind, also known as “trips” or “a set,” is three cards of the same rank. For example, if you have Q-Q-Q-4-5, that’s three of a kind. If two players have three of a kind, the one with the higher rank wins. In our example, Q-Q-Q would beat J-J-J.
Two Pair: Two pair is, well, two pairs! For example, if you have a pair of 7s and a pair of Aces, that’s two pair. Ranking for two pair is first by the highest pair, then by the lower pair. So, in our example, 7-7-A-A would beat 5-5-K-K because the aces are higher than the kings. If both players have the same high pair, the rank of the low pair is used to determine the winner. In our example, 7-7-6-6 would beat 7-7-4-4 because the 6s are higher than the 4s.
One Pair: One pair is exactly what it sounds like – one pair of cards. If you have 2 sevens, that’s one pair. Having One pair essentially means having two cards of the same rank, with the other three being unrelated side cards. If two players have One pair, the one with the higher pair wins. So, if you have 7-7-A-4-5 and your opponent has 3-3-K-Q-J, you win because your 7s are higher than their 3s. The next highest card is used to determine the winner if both players have the same pair. So for example, if both players have a pair of 7s, the player with the higher second card would win. In this case, it would be the player with 7-4 over the player with 7-3.
High Card: If you don’t have any of the above hands, the highest card in your hand is your high card. So, if you have J-8-6-4-2, your high card is a Jack. If two players have the same high card, the next highest card is used as a tiebreaker, and so on.
Now that you know the poker hand rankings, you can start playing! Be sure to familiarize yourself with the different types of games and understand the hand rankings for each one. With a bit of practice, you’ll be playing like a pro in no time! To better understand and practice your poker game, try playing poker online free by signing up today at GGPoker, the world’s largest poker room.
