Hand Rankings

This is a presentation of the poker hands, from the highest to the lowest. All poker hands consist of five cards.

Royal Straight Flush

An ace-high straight flush. The royal straight flush – royal flush or just royal – is the best possible hand in poker. With the requirement of an ace topping the straight flush there are only four of them, one for every suit.

Getting this unbeatable hand is many seasoned poker players yet unfulfilled dream.

Straight Flush

Five cards in a sequence and all in the same suit. An ace can be considered as the highest ranking card or the lowest ranked card, that is less than the two, so 5 4 3 2 A is a straight flush as well.

In the unlikely event that two players have a straight flush you either accept that the straight flush with the highest ranked card is the better hand or ask who has played the practical joke by rigging the game.

Four of a Kind

Any hand containing four cards of the same rank. Also called quads. The higher the rank, the better the hand. For example: four jacks J J J J 5 beats four eights 8 8 8 8 A.

Full House

A three of a kind and a pair in the same hand. This hand, also called a boat, thus requires three cards of any one given rank and two cards of another any one given rank.

The rank of a full house is determined by the three cards, not the pair. Q Q Q 8 8 beats J J J K K. The first hand is referred to as "queens full of eights" and the second as "jacks full of kings", and queens rank higher than jacks.

Flush

All five card of the same suit. The hand above can be referred to as a "flush, queen high" or as a "queen-high flush". This is because the highest ranked card in a flush is used to determine which flush is better than which, note that all suits are equivalent. So K 8 6 4 2 beats Q J T 9 7. If the highest ranking cards are the same then the second-highest, third-highest, fourth-highest, and fifth-highest cards can be used to break the tie. Whereby it can be conclude that J 8 7 5 4 beats J 8 7 5 3.

Straight

Five cards in a sequence makes a straight. They are not suited as that would make a straight flush instead. The hand above is denoted "straight, king high" or "king-high straight".

In order to break a tie the high card in each sequence is used, A K Q J T beats T 9 8 7 6. Something that complicates matter a tad is that the ace can be used as the lowest card as well as the highest. T 9 8 7 6 beats 5 4 3 2 A because it is the high card that is used, another way to put in this case is that a ten-high straight beats a five-high straight. There is however no such thing as a round-the-corner-straight. The hand: Q K A 2 3 is not a straight. It is only the ace that swings both ways.

Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated cards. Getting this hand is also called making a set or getting trips. In the event two players hit trips then the highest ranking three of a kind wins.

For flop games – with community cards – it is possible for two players to have the same three of a kind. The winning hand in such a case is determined by the highest ranking side card, and if it is still a tie the second highest side card is used as well. The side cards are also called kickers. The hand above can then be referred to as “a set of nines with a ace kicker”.

Recapturing: a set of jacks, J J J K 3, beats a set of eights, 8 8 8 A 4, and a set of fours with a ace kicker, 44 4 A 9, beats a set of fours with a queen kicker, 4 4 4 Q J.

Two Pair

Two cards of a matching rank another two cards of a different matching rank, and one unrelated side card.If there is a need to get more specific than "two pair" then the hand above can be referred to as “two pair ten high”. The reasoning behind this is that a tie between two pairs are broken by the highest pair. A two pair nine high, 9 9 2 2 6, beats a two pair eight high, 8 8 7 7 6.

To declare a winner between two pairs with the same high pair, the second pair is used and if there is still a tie then the highest side card wins. Two pair kings and tens with a five kicker, K K T T 5, beats two pair kings and eights with a queen kicker, K K 8 8 Q. Both hands are beaten by two pair kings and tens with a ace kicker, K K T T A.

One Pair

Two cards of a matching rank and three unrelated side cards. In the event of a tie, the highest ranked pair wins. The hand above is a "pair of sevens with a king kicker".

It is the kicker that decides the winning hand if two hands have the same ranked pair. If it is still undecided after having looked at the first kicker then the second-highest and third-highest side card are used in turn. Thereby K K Q 7 4 beats K K Q 7 2.

High Card

A hand that does not qualify to any of the categories listed above. High card, or no pair, are five unrelated cards. The hand above can be referred to as "ace high".

The rank order of the cards are used to determine the winner. J 8 7 3 2 beats J 8 5 4 2 as the first two cards have the same rank but the first hand has a higher third-highest side card.