Learning How Hands are Ranked in a Poker Game

As mentioned previously it is essential to understand how the hands rank in order to have a chance of succeeding in poker. Each hand is made up of five cards. The ranking of these cards is the same no matter which variant of poker you are playing. In poker you are always looking to play your best hand, in fact you have to play your best hand.

The following descriptions of hand ranks will help you when learning how to play-

Royal Flush - The highest possible poker hand and is extremely rare. It is a straight flush - five cards of the same suit also in order - of the highest cards in the deck, that is an ace to a ten.

Straight Flush - Five cards in order which are all of the same suit.

Four of a kind - Four cards of the same rank, so four tens or four aces. The player with the higher four of a kind will win.

Full House - Maybe not what you would expect, but the full house is three of a kind with a pair, for example three queens and two fours. If two of the players have a full house, then the winner is determined by which player has the highest three of a kind.

Flush - Your hand will be five cards of the same suit. It doesn't matter if they are in consecutive order. For example you could have a J, 5,7, 2, 8 as long as they were all diamonds.

Straight - This is when your five cards have to carry on consecutively from each other, for example 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. You are permitted to use an ace as either a high or a low.

Three of a kind - A collection of three cards which are of the same rank, for example Q, Q, Q. The other two cards don't have to be anything.

Two Pair - Your hand will be made up of two pairs, one with two cards of one rank and a second pair of two cards from another rank. It is not relevant what the fifth card is.

Pair - Simply one pair of cards of the same rank. It does not matter what the other cards are, although if there is a draw the highest ranking card will win.

High Card - If no one in the game has any of the above hands, then the player with the card that ranks the highest will win.