Rules of Card Games: Poker Hand Ranking Hand probabilities and multiple decks - probability tables Standard Poker Hand Ranking There are 52 cards in the pack, and the ranking of the individual cards, from high to low, is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. In standard poker - that is to say in the formal casino and tournament game played internationally and the home game as normally played in North America - there is no ranking between the suits for the purpose of comparing hands - so for example the king of hearts and the king of spades are equal. (Note however that suit ranking is sometimes used for other purposes such as allocating seats, deciding who bets first, and allocating the odd chip when splitting a pot that can't be equally divided. See ranking of suits for details.) A poker hand consists of five cards. The categories of hand, from highest to lowest, are listed below. Any hand in a higher category beats any hand in a lower category (so for example any three of a kind beats any two pairs). Between hands in the same category the rank of the individual cards decides which is better, as described in more detail below.

In games where a player has more than five cards and selects five to form a poker hand, the remaining cards do not play any part in the ranking. Poker ranks are always based on five cards only, and if these cards are equal the hands are equal, irrespective of the ranks of any unused cards. Some readers may wonder why one would ever need to compare (say) two threes of a kind of equal rank. This obviously cannot arise in basic draw poker, but such comparisons are needed in poker games using shared (community) cards, such as Texas Hold'em, in poker games with wild cards, and in other card games using poker combinations. 1. Straight Flush If there are no wild cards, this is the highest type of poker hand: five cards of the same suit in sequence - such as J- 9- 8- 7. Between two straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is higher. An ace can be counted as low, so 5- 3- 2- A is a straight flush, but its top card is the five, not the ace, so it is the lowest type of straight flush.

The highest type of straight flush, A-K-Q-J-10 of a suit, is known as a Royal Flush. The cards in a straight flush cannot "turn the corner": 4- K is not valid. 2. Four of a kind Four cards of the same rank - such as four queens. The fifth card, known as the kicker, can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as "quads", and in some parts of Europe it is called a "poker", though this term for it is unknown in English. Between two fours of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is higher - so 3-3-3-3-A is beaten by 4-4-4-4-2. If two or more players have four of a kind of the same rank, the rank of the kicker decides. For example in Texas Hold'em with J- J- J- 9 on the table (available to all players), a player holding K-7 beats a player holding Q-10 since the king beats the queen. If one player holds 8-2 and another holds 6-5 they split the pot, since the 9 kicker makes the best hand for both of them.

If one player holds A- K they also split the pot because both have an ace kicker. 3. Full House This combination, sometimes known as a boat, consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank - for example three sevens and two tens (colloquially known as "sevens full of tens" or "sevens on tens"). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the threes of a kind are equal, the rank of the pairs decides. 4. Flush Five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on. For example K- 7- 6- 5 because the nine beats the seven. If all five cards are equal, the flushes are equal. 5. Straight Five cards of mixed suits in sequence - for example Q- 10- 9- 8.

When comparing two sequences, the one with the higher ranking top card is better. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both at once, so A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A, known as a wheel, is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five. 6. Three of a Kind Three cards of the same rank plus two unequal cards. This combination is also known as Triplets or Trips. When comparing two threes of a kind the rank of the three equal cards determines which is higher. If the sets of three are of equal rank, then the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand are compared, and if those are equal, the lower odd card is compared. So for example 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-5, which beats 4-4-4-Q-9, which beats 4-4-4-Q-8. 7. Two Pairs A pair consists of two cards of equal rank.

In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs are of different ranks (otherwise you would have four of a kind), and there is an odd card to make the hand up to five cards. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards - so J-J-2-2-4 beats 10-10-9-9-8 because the jacks beat the tens. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, so that for example 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K. Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so Q-Q-5-5-8 beats Q-Q-5-5-4. 8. Pair A hand with two cards of equal rank and three cards which are different from these and from each other. When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better - so for example 6-6-4-3-2 beats 5-5-A-K-Q.

If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards. So J-J-A-9-3 beats J-J-A-8-7 because the 9 beats the 8. 9. Nothing Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. This combination is often called High Card and sometimes No Pair. T cards must all be of different ranks, not consecutive, and contain at least two different suits. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal too the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten. Hand Ranking in Low Poker There are several poker variations in which the lowest hand wins: these are sometimes known as Lowball. There are also "high-low" variants in which the pot is split between the highest and the lowest hand.

A low hand with no combination is normally described by naming its highest card - for example 8-6-5-4-2 would be described as "8-down" or "8-low". It first sight it might be assumed that in low poker the hands rank in the reverse order to their ranking in normal (high) poker, but this is not quite the case. There are several different ways to rank low hands, depending on how aces are treated and whether straights and flushes are counted. Ace to Five This seems to be the most popular system. Straights and flushes do not count, and Aces are always low. The best hand is therefore 5-4-3-2-A, even if the cards are all in one suit. Then comes 6-4-3-2-A, 6-5-3-2-A, 6-5-4-2-A, 6-5-4-3-A, 6-5-4-3-2, 7-4-3-2-A and so on. Note that when comparing hands, the highest card is compared first, just as in standard poker.

So for example 6-5-4-3-2 is better than 7-4-3-2-A because the 6 is lower than the 7. The best hand containing a pair is A-A-4-3-2. This version is sometimes called "California Lowball". When this form of low poker is played as part of a high-low split variant, there is sometimes a condition that a hand must be "eight or better" to qualify to win the low part of the pot. In this case a hand must consist of five unequal cards, all 8 or lower, to qualify for low. The worst such hand is 8-7-6-5-4. Deuce to Seven The hands rank in almost the same order as in standard poker, with straights and flushes counting and the lowest hand wins. The difference from normal poker is that Aces are always high , so that A-2-3-4-5 is not a straight, but ranks between K-Q-J-10-8 and A-6-4-3-2. The best hand in this form is 7-5-4-3-2 in mixed suits, hence the name "deuce to seven".

The next best is 7-6-4-3-2, then 7-6-5-3-2, 7-6-5-4-2, 8-5-4-3-2, 8-6-4-3-2, 8-6-5-3-2, 8-6-5-4-2, 8-6-5-4-3, 8-7-4-3-2, etc. The highest card is always compared first, so for example 8-6-5-4-3 is better than 8-7-4-3-2 even though the latter contains a 2, because the 6 is lower than the 7. The best hand containing a pair is 2-2-5-4-3, but this would be beaten by A-K-Q-J-9 - the worst "high card" hand. This version is sometimes called "Kansas City Lowball". Ace to Six Many home poker players play that straights and flushes count, but that aces can be counted as low.

In this version 5-4-3-2-A is a bad hand because it is a straight, so the best low hand is 6-4-3-2-A. There are a couple of issues around the treatment of aces in this variant. First, what about A-K-Q-J-10? Since aces are low, this should not count as a straight. It is a king-down, and is lower and therefore better than K-Q-J-10-2. Second, a pair of aces is the lowest and therefore the best pair, beating a pair of twos. It is likely that some players would disagree with both the above rulings, preferring to count A-K-Q-J-10 as a straight and in some cases considering A-A to be the highest pair rather than the lowest. It would be wise to check that you agree on these details before playing ace-to-six low poker with unfamiliar opponents. Selecting from more than five cards Note that in games where more than five cards are available, the player is free to select whichever cards make the lowest hand.

For example a player in Seven Card Stud Hi-Lo 8 or Better whose cards are 10-8-6-6-3-2-A can omit the 10 and one of the 6's to create a qualifying hand for low. Poker Hand Ranking with Wild Cards A wild card card that can be used to substitute for a card that the holder needs to make up a hand. In some variants one or more jokers are added to the pack to act as wild cards. In others, one or more cards of the 52-card pack may be designated as wild - for example all the twos ("deuces wild") or the jacks of hearts and spades ("one-eyed jacks wild", since these are the only two jacks shown in profile in Anglo-American decks). The most usual rule is that a wild card can be used either to represent any card not already present in the hand, or to make the special combination of "five of a kind". This approach is not entirely consistent, since five of a kind - five cards of equal rank - must necessarily include one duplicate card, since there are only four suits. The only practical effect of the rule against duplicates is to prevent the formation of a "double ace flush".

So for example in the hand A- 3, the 10 beating the 9. Five of a Kind When playing with wild cards, five of a kind becomes the highest type of hand, beating a royal flush. Between fives of a kind, the higher beats the lower, five aces being highest of all. The Bug Some games, especially five card draw , are often played with a bug. This is a joker added to the pack which acts as a limited wild card. It can either be used as an ace, or to complete a straight or a flush. Thus the highest hand is five aces ( A- A- A- A-joker), but other fives of a kind are impossible - for example 6-6-6-6-joker would count as four sixes with an ace kicker and a straight flush would beat this hand. Also a hand like 8-8-5-5-joker counts as two pairs with the joker representing an ace, not as a full house. Wild Cards in Low Poker In Low Poker, a wild card can be used to represent a card of a rank not already present in the player's hand. It is then sometimes known as a "fitter".

For example 6-5-4-2-joker would count as a pair of sixes in normal poker with the joker wild, but in ace-to-five low poker the joker could be used as an ace, and in deuce-to-seven low poker it could be used as a seven to complete a low hand. Lowest Card Wild Some home poker variants are played with the player's lowest card (or lowest concealed card) wild. In this case the rule applies to the lowest ranked card held at the time of the showdown, using the normal order ace (high) to two (low). Aces cannot be counted as low to make them wild. Double Ace Flush Some people play with the house rule that a wild card can represent any card, including a duplicate of a card already held. It then becomes possible to have a flush containing two or more aces. Flushes with more than one ace are not allowed unless specifically agreed as a house rule. Natural versus Wild Some play with the house rule that a natural hand beats an equal hand in which one or more of the cards are represented by wild cards. This can be extended to specify that a hand with more wild cards beats an otherwise equal hand with fewer wild cards.

This must be agreed in advance: in the absence of any agreement, wild cards are as good as the natural cards they represent. Incomplete Hands In some poker variants, such as No Peek , it is necessary to compare hands that have fewer than five cards. With fewer than five cards, you cannot have a straight, flush or full house. You can make a four of a kind or two pairs with only four cards, triplets with three cards, a pair with two cards and a "high card" hand with just one card. The process of comparing first the combination and then the kickers in descending order is the same as when comparing five-card hands. In hands with unequal numbers of cards any kicker that is present in the hand beats a missing kicker. So for example 8-8-K beats 8-8-6-2 because the king beats the 6, but 8-8-6-2 beats 8-8-6 because a 2 is better than a missing fourth card. Similarly a 10 by itself beats 9-5, which beats 9-3-2, which beats 9-3, which beats a 9 by itself.

Ranking of suits In standard poker there is no ranking of suits for the purpose of comparing hands. If two hands are identical apart from the suits of the cards then they count as equal. In standard poker, if there are two highest equal hands in a showdown, the pot is split between them. Standard poker rules do, however, specify a hierarchy of suits: spades (highest), hearts, diamonds, clubs (lowest) (as in Contract Bridge ), which is used to break ties for special purposes such as: drawing cards to allocate players to seats or tables; deciding who bets first in stud poker according to the highest or lowest upcard; allocating a chip that is left over when a pot cannot be shared exactly between two or more players. I have, however, heard from several home poker players who play by house rules that use this same ranking of suits to break ties between otherwise equal hands. For some reason, players most often think of this as a way to break ties between royal flushes, which would be most relevant in a game with many wild cards, where such hands might become commonplace. However, if you want to introduce a suit ranking it is important also to agree how it will apply to other, lower types of hand.

If one player A has 8- 7- 6- 2 ? So far as I know there is no universally accepted answer to these questions: this is non-standard poker, and your house rules are whatever you agree that they are. Three different rules that I have come across, when hands are equal apart from suit are: Compare the suit of the highest card in the hand. Compare the suit of the highest paired card - for example if two people have J-J-7-7-K the highest jack wins. Compare the suit of the highest unpaired card - for example if two people have K-K-7-5-4 compare the 7's. Although the order spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs may seem natural to Bridge players and English speakers, other suit orders are common, especially in some European countries.

Up to now, I have come across: spades (high), hearts, clubs, diamonds (low) spades (high), diamonds, clubs, hearts (low) hearts (high), spades, diamonds, clubs (low) (in Greece and in Turkey) hearts (high), diamonds, spades, clubs (low) (in Austria and in Sweden) hearts (high), diamonds, clubs, spades (low) (in Italy) diamonds (high), spades, hearts, clubs (low) (in Brazil) diamonds (high), hearts, spades, clubs (low) (in Brazil) clubs (high), spades, hearts, diamonds (low) (in Germany) As with all house rules, it would be wise to make sure you have a common understanding before starting to play, especially when the group contains people with whom you have not played before. Stripped Decks In some places, especially in continental Europe, poker is sometimes played with a deck of less than 52 cards, the low cards being omitted. Italian Poker is an example. As the pack is reduced, a Flush becomes more difficult to make, and for this reason a Flush is sometimes ranked above a Full House in such games.

In a stripped deck game, the ace is considered to be adjacent to the lowest card present in the deck, so for example when using a 36-card deck with 6's low, A-6-7-8-9 is a low straight. Playing poker with fewer than 52 cards is not a new idea. In the first half of the 19th century, the earliest form of poker was played with just 20 cards - the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of each suit - with five cards dealt to each of four players. The only hand types recognised were, in descending order, four of a kind, full house, three of a kind, two pairs, one pair, no pair. No Unbeatable Hand In standard poker a Royal Flush (A-K-Q-J-10 of one suit) cannot be beaten. Even if you introduce suit ranking, the Royal Flush in the highest suit is unbeatable. In some regions, it is considered unsatisfactory to have any hand that is guaranteed to be unbeaten - there should always be a risk. There are several solutions to this.

In Italy this is achieved by the rule "La minima batte la massima, la massima batte la media e la media batte la minima" ("the minimum beats the maximum, the maximum beats the medium and the medium beats the minimum"). A minimum straight flush is the lowest that can be made with the deck in use. Normally they play with a stripped deck so for example with 40 cards the minimum straight flush would be A-5-6-7-8 of a suit. A maximum straight flush is 10-J-Q-K-A of a suit. All other straight flushes are medium. If two players have medium straight flushes then the one with higher ranked cards wins as usual. Also as usual a maximum straight flush beats a medium one, and a medium straight flush beats a minimum one. But if a minimum straight flush comes up against a maximum straight flush, the minimum beats the maximum. In the very rare case where three players hold a straight flush, one minimum, one medium and one maximum, the pot is split between them. See for example Italian Poker .

In Greece, where hearts is the highest suit, A- Q- J- 10 is called an Imperial Flush, and it is beaten only by four of a kind of the lowest rank in the deck - for example 6-6-6-6 if playing with 36 cards. Again, in very rare cases there could also be a hand in the showdown that beats the four of a kind but is lower than the Imperial Flush, in which case the pot would be split. Hand probabilities and multiple decks The ranking order of poker hands corresponds to their probability of occurring in straight poker, where five cards are dealt from a 52-card deck, with no wild cards and no opportunity to use extra cards to improve a hand. The rarer a hand the higher it ranks. This is neither an essential nor an original feature of poker, and it ceases to be true when wild cards are introduced. In fact, with a large number of wild cards, it is almost inevitable that the higher hand types will be the commoner, not rarer, since wild cards will be used to help make the most valuable type of hand from the available cards.

Mark Brader has provided probability tables showing the frequency of each poker hand type when five cards are dealt from a 52-card deck, and also showing how these probabilities would change if multiple decks were used. PROBABILITY: 5-CARD POKER HANDS 5-CARD POKER HANDS (most recent edit: January 2, 2005) A SINGLE PAIR This the hand with the pattern AABCD, where A, B, C and D are from the distinct "kinds" of cards: aces, twos, threes, tens, jacks, queens, and kings (there are 13 kinds, and four of each kind, in the standard 52 card deck). The number of such hands is (13-choose-1)*(4-choose-2)*(12-choose-3)*[(4-choose-1)]^3. If all hands are equally likely, the probability of a single pair is obtained by dividing by (52-choose-5). This probability is 0.422569. TWO PAIR This hand has the pattern AABBC where A, B, and C are from distinct kinds.

The number of such hands is (13-choose-2)(4-choose-2)(4-choose-2)(11-choose-1)(4-choose-1). After dividing by (52-choose-5), the probability is 0.047539. A TRIPLE This hand has the pattern AAABC where A, B, and C are from distinct kinds. The number of such hands is (13-choose-1)(4-choose-3)(12-choose-2)[4-choose-1]^2. The probability is 0.021128. A FULL HOUSE This hand has the pattern AAABB where A and B are from distinct kinds. The number of such hands is (13-choose-1)(4-choose-3)(12-choose-1)(4-choose-2). The probability is 0.001441. FOUR OF A KIND This hand has the pattern AAAAB where A and B are from distinct kinds. The number of such hands is (13-choose-1)(4-choose-4)(12-choose-1)(4-choose-1).

The probability is 0.000240. A STRAIGHT This is five cards in a sequence (e.g., 4,5,6,7,8), with aces allowed to be either 1 or 13 (low or high) and with the cards allowed to be of the same suit (e.g., all hearts) or from some different suits. The number of such hands is 10*[4-choose-1]^5. The probability is 0.003940. IF YOU MEAN TO EXCLUDE STRAIGHT FLUSHES AND ROYAL FLUSHES (SEE BELOW), the number of such hands is 10*[4-choose-1]^5 - 36 - 4 = 10200, with probability 0.00392465 A FLUSH Here all 5 cards are from the same suit (they may also be a straight). The number of such hands is (4-choose-1)* (13-choose-5). The probability is approximately 0.00198079.

IF YOU MEAN TO EXCLUDE STRAIGHT FLUSHES, SUBTRACT 4*10 (SEE THE NEXT TYPE OF HAND): the number of hands would then be (4-choose-1)*(13-choose-5)-4*10, with probability approximately 0.0019654. A STRAIGHT FLUSH All 5 cards are from the same suit and they form a straight (they may also be a royal flush). The number of such hands is 4*10, and the probability is 0.0000153908. IF YOU MEAN TO EXCLUDE ROYAL FLUSHES, SUBTRACT 4 (SEE THE NEXT TYPE OF HAND): the number of hands would then be 4*10-4 = 36, with probability approximately 0.0000138517. A ROYAL FLUSH This consists of the ten, jack, queen, king, and ace of one suit. There are four such hands. The probability is 0.00000153908.

NONE OF THE ABOVE We have to choose 5 distinct kinds (13-choose-5) but exclude any straights (subtract 10). We can have any pattern of suits except the 4 patterns where all 5 cards have the same suit: 4^5-4. The total number of such hands is [(13-choose-5)-10]* (4^5-4). The probability is 0.501177. Hand 3 of a Kind PLAY FOR REAL 3 of a Kind 3 of a Kind, also known as "Trips", "Set" or "Prile" (from its use in 3 Card Poker), is a poker hand which contains three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. In Texas Hold 'Em, a "Set" refers specifically to a 3 of a Kind comprised of a pocket pair and one card of matching rank on the board. A 3 of a Kind hand ranks above a Two Pair hand and below a Straight hand. A 3 of a Kind hand ranks above a Two Pair hand and below a Straight hand.

For example, a 3 of Kind hand that contains three Kings defeats a Two Pair hand that contains a pair of Aces and Queens. However, a 3 of Kind hand that contains three Kings loses to any Straight hand. A higher ranking 3 of a Kind defeats lower ranking 3 of a Kinds. For example, a 3 of Kind hand that contains three Kings defeats a 3 of a Kind hand that contains thee queens. If two 3 of a Kind hands have the same rank (possible in games with wild cards or community cards), the kickers are compared to break the tie. FREE TABLE GAMES The Poker Hand Rankings | Pokerology.com Poker Hand Rankings By Tim Ryerson In this lesson you’re going to learn the first and most important step about how to play poker by learning the all important poker hand rankings. A standard poker hand consists of five cards. Each poker hand is ranked in a set order. The higher the rank, the less chance statistically you have of getting it. The higher the rank of your hand the better, because two pairs always beats one pair, and a flush always beats a straight. When two or more players have a hand of the same rank, then there are more ways to determine the best hand.

Hopefully all these points will make perfect sense by the end of this lesson. Poker Hands (from Best to Worst) Be sure to pay close attention and memorize the poker hand rankings. Let’s start with the best possible hand in poker…. Royal Flush A Royal flush consists of five cards of the same suit, in sequence from 10 through to Ace. Remember that all suits are equal in poker. If two or more players hold a royal flush (highly unlikely) then the pot is split, i.e. the players share the winnings. Straight Flush Five cards of the same suit, in sequence. This example shows a Jack high straight flush. If two or more players hold a straight flush then it is the highest that wins. For example, a Queen high straight flush beats a Jack high straight flush. You will notice that this is very similar to a Royal flush, and that’s because a Royal flush is in fact an ace high straight flush – but it’s given its very own ranking. Four of a Kind This hand contains four cards of the same rank/value. This example shows four 8’s, plus a 5 (remember that all poker hands must have five cards).

If two or more players have four of a kind, then the highest value wins (e.g. four 9’s beats four 8’s). If two or more players share the same four of a kind, which can happen when using community cards (more on that later) then the winner is decided by the fifth card. So a player with four 8’s and a 6 would beat a player with four 8’s and a 5. Full House A full house contains three cards of the same rank, plus a pair. In our example you can see three 10’s and a pair of 7’s. The value of the three matching cards determines the strength of a full house. So three Jack’s with a pair of 7’s would beat our example hand. If players share the same three cards, which is possible when using community cards, the strength of the pair is then taken into account. So, three 10’s and a pair of 8’s would beat our example hand. Flush Five cards of the same suit in any order. Our example shows a Queen high flush. If two or more players have a flush then the player with the highest ranked card wins.

If the players share the same high card then it’s determined by the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th card respectively. Straight This hand contains five unsuited cards in sequence. Our example shows a King high straight. In the event of a tie, the best straight is determined by the highest ranked card. A straight consisting of 8, 9, 10, J, Q, would lose to our example hand. But a straight consisting of 10, J, Q, K, A, would win. Also note that an Ace can be used as the low card for a straight of A, 2, 3, 4, 5. This would lose to a straight of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. Three of a Kind Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated cards. Our example shows three 4’s. Three 5’s would beat our example hand, three 6’s would beat three 5’s, and so on. If players share the same three cards, then the value of the highest unrelated card would count and if necessary, the value of the second unrelated card.

So, three 4’s with Jack, 8, would beat our example hand. As would three 4’s and 10, 9 (because 9 is higher than 8). Two Pair Two cards of matching rank, with another two cards of another rank, plus an additional card. In the event of a tie, the highest pair wins. If players share the same highest pair, then the value of the next pair wins. For example, a pair of Aces, and a pair of 6’s would beat our example hand, as would a pair of Kings and a pair of 7’s. If two or more players share the same two pair, then the value of the fifth card counts. So, a pair of Kings, a pair of 6’s, with a 4, would beat our example hand. One Pair A paired hand contains two cards of matching rank, plus three additional cards. The value of the pair determines who wins in the event of a tie. For example a pair of 10’s beats our example hand. If players share the same pair then the best hand is determined by the value of the highest additional card.

If this is the same then it goes to the second card, and if necessary the third. So, a pair of 9’s with an Ace, 2, and 10, would beat our example hand. As would a pair of 9’s, King, 10, and a 3. High Card If a hand doesn’t fall into any of the above categories, then it is judged on the value of the highest ranked card among the five. In this example we have a hand which is Queen high. If players share the same highest card, then it goes to the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th card if necessary. A hand of Queen, 10, 9, 5, 4, would beat our example hand. Community Cards As you already know, a poker hand consists of five cards. In many variations of poker, players receive or can choose from more than five cards. For example, in Texas Hold’em each player is dealt two private cards, but can also use the five community cards that are available for all the players to use.

This makes a total of seven cards, but each player must choose their best five cards to make their best possible hand. Here’s an example: In the above example, the best five cards among total of seven (two private cards and five community cards) would be combined to make a flush. Conclusion If you don’t fully understand the poker hand rankings then please read through the list again. It’s vital that you know which hand beats which. Of course, how good a poker hand is, is very dependent on which type of poker game you are playing and other factors such as the number of other players you are playing against. You will learn the true strength of a poker hand as you gain experience of playing the game. We have created a printable poker hand rankings chart that you can use as a source of reference. Hopefully we’ve explained the poker hand rankings to you well enough whereby you don’t need this chart, but it still might be handy for some. The chart will load as a PDF (link opens in a new window) and you’ll need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to be able to view it. Make sure that you memorize the poker hand rankings before moving onto the next lesson.

Related Lessons Poker Hands Order - Poker Hand Rankings at PokerStars How to Play Poker Poker Hands At PokerStars, we deal many varieties of poker, some of which use different hand rankings. Hold’em , Omaha , Seven Card Stud and Five Card Draw all use the traditional ‘high’ poker rankings. Omaha Hi/Lo , Razz and Stud Hi/Lo use the ‘Ace to Five’ (‘California’) low hand rankings for low hands. 2-7 Single Draw and 2-7 Triple Draw use the ‘Deuce to Seven’ (‘Kansas City’) lowball rankings for low hands. Lastly, Badugi uses a special ranking of hands unique to that game. Know your stuff? Play our interactive game at the bottom of this page. Traditional High Poker Hand Ranks + Straight Flush: Five cards in numerical order, all of identical suits. In the event of a tie: Highest rank at the top of the sequence wins. The best possible straight flush is known as a royal flush, which consists of the ace, king, queen, jack and ten of a suit. A royal flush is an unbeatable hand. Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same rank, and one side card or ‘kicker’.

In the event of a tie: Highest four of a kind wins. In community card games where players have the same four of a kind, the highest fifth side card ('kicker') wins. Full House: Three cards of the same rank, and two cards of a different, matching rank. In the event of a tie: Highest three matching cards wins the pot. In community card games where players have the same three matching cards, the highest value of the two matching cards wins. Flush: Five cards of the same suit. In the event of a tie: The player holding the highest ranked card wins. If necessary, the second-highest, third-highest, fourth-highest, and fifth-highest cards can be used to break the tie. If all five cards are the same ranks, the pot is split. The suit itself is never used to break a tie in poker. Straight: Five cards in sequence. In the event of a tie: Highest ranking card at the top of the sequence wins. Note: The Ace may be used at the top or bottom of the sequence, and is the only card which can act in this manner.

A,K,Q,J,T is the highest (Ace high) straight; 5,4,3,2,A is the lowest (Five high) straight. Three of a kind: Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated side cards. In the event of a tie: Highest ranking three of a kind wins. In community card games where players have the same three of a kind, the highest side card, and if necessary, the second-highest side card wins. Two pair: Two cards of a matching rank, another two cards of a different matching rank, and one side card. In the event of a tie: Highest pair wins. If players have the same highest pair, highest second pair wins. If both players have two identical pairs, highest side card wins. One pair: Two cards of a matching rank, and three unrelated side cards. In the event of a tie: Highest pair wins. If players have the same pair, the highest side card wins, and if necessary, the second-highest and third-highest side card can be used to break the tie. High card: Any hand that does not qualify under a category listed above.

In the event of a tie: Highest card wins, and if necessary, the second-highest, third-highest, fourth-highest and smallest card can be used to break the tie. Ace To Five Lowball Hand Ranks + This method of ranking low hands is used in traditional Hi/Lo games, like Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo, as well as in Razz, the ‘low only’ Stud game. Note that suits are irrelevant for Ace to Five low. A flush or straight does not ‘break’ an Ace to Five low poker hand. Aces are always a ‘low’ card when considering a low hand. Please also note that the value of a five-card low hand starts with the top card, and goes down from there. Five Low, or Wheel: The Five, Four, Three, Deuce and Ace. In the event of a tie: All Five-high hands split the pot. Six Low: Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being a Six. In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. Thus 6,4,3,2,A defeats 6,5,4,2,A.

If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Seven Low: Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being a Seven. In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Eight Low: Any five unpaired cards with the highest card being an Eight. In the event of a tie: The lower second-highest ranking card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. An Eight Low is the weakest hand that qualifies for low in Omaha Hi/Lo and Stud Hi/Lo. However in Razz, there is no such ‘qualifier’ and the lowest hand will always win the pot, even if it is a nine low, queen low, or even a pair! Deuce To Seven Lowball Hand Ranks + The Deuce to Seven Lowball hand rankings are the exact opposite of the traditional ‘high’ hand rankings.

Therefore, the worst possible hand in traditional high poker – seven-five high, with different suits, becomes the best possible hand in deuce to seven lowball (a ‘perfect seven’ low or ‘wheel’). In practice, an ace always plays as a high card in Deuce to Seven (so A,5,4,3,2 is an ace low, not a straight). Straights and flushes count against your hand in Deuce to Seven. Seven Low: Any five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, with the highest card being a seven. The best possible hand is 7,5,4,3,2, also known as a ‘wheel’ or ‘number one’. In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. Thus 7,5,4,3,2 beats 7,6,5,3,2 (a ‘Seven-Five low’ is better than a ‘Seven-Six low’). If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Eight Low: Any five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, with the highest card being an eight.

In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Nine Low: Any five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, with the highest card being a nine. In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Ten Low: Any five unpaired, unconnected cards of different suits, with the highest card being a ten. In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest, fourth-highest and fifth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Note: There is no ‘qualifier’ for low in Deuce to Seven lowball games. The above are just examples of hands that may come up in play – the lowest hand will always win the pot in Deuce to Seven, even if it is a pair or worse!

Badugi Hand Ranks + Badugi does not use traditional poker hand rankings and it takes some practice to learn how to correctly read the hands. Badugi hand rankings are somewhat related to the Ace to Five rankings; like in Ace to Five, an ace always plays as a low card. However, unlike Ace to Five, each card in your hand must be a different suit and a different rank, in order to count. Badugi hands consist of four cards, instead of the usual five. Because of this it is impossible to make a five-card straight, and having four cards in sequence does not hurt your hand. Remember, if you have cards of the same suit, only one of them counts, and if you have pairs, only one of them counts. Badugi: A badugi is any hand which consists of four unpaired cards, each a different suit. In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest and fourth-highest cards in the hand can be used to break the tie. Three-Card Hand: Any hand consisting of three unpaired cards of different suits, but a fourth paired or suited card. The lowest three unpaired cards of different suits play.

Because there is a pair, one of the fours does not count, so it is simply ignored, making a 4,2,A three-card hand Because there are two hearts in this hand, one of them is ignored, making a 3,2,A three-card hand. In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. If necessary, the third-highest card in the hand can be used to break the tie. The fourth (paired or suited) card does not count toward the hand and is not used to break ties. Two-Card Hand: Any hand consisting of two unpaired cards of different suits, but two paired or suited cards. The lowest two unpaired cards of different suits play. Because there are two pairs, one of each pair is discarded, making a 5,A two-card hand. Because there are three hearts, two of them are discarded, making a 2,A two-card hand. In the event of a tie: The lower second card wins the pot. The third and fourth (paired or suited) cards do not count toward the hand and are not used to break ties. One-Card Hand: A hand consisting of only one playable card. The lowest card plays.

Since there are four Aces, three of them are discarded, making a one-card hand of just an Ace. Since there are four cards of the same suit, three of them are discarded, making a one-card hand of just a Three. In the event of a tie: The pot is split between two equal one-card hands. Ready to test your knowledge of poker hand rankings? Play our tutorial now. Are you a new player? Download the Free Poker Software Just download the free PokerStars software to start playing. Downloading the software is simple. Learn How to Download the Poker Software How to Determine the Winning Poker Hand in Texas Hold'em - Poker Strategy Poker Strategy How to Determine the Winning Poker Hand Share: 20 January 2009 By Sean Lind When playing poker with your family or friends, one of the things you're going to need to know is how to determine the winning hand in all scenarios. Before we go any further, first you need to memorize or print out the order of poker hands . Once you know that a flush beats a straight and three of a kind beats two pair, you're off to a good start. The majority of poker hands are simple to determine a winner from.

If one player has a flush, and no one else has a flush or better, it doesn't take much thought to figure out who's the winner. It's once things get a little bit more complicated that people start to get confused. First, you want to remember these rules of poker hands: You must make the best hand possible using exactly five cards All five cards are used in deciding the strength of the hand No cards outside of the best five have any bearing on the strength of the hand If you're playing Texas Hold'em poker , players are allowed to use any combination of cards from their hand and/or the board cards. This means if the absolute best five-card hand a player can make is by using the five cards on the board, then that is his or her final hand (this is known as playing the board). Some Common Areas of Confusion Here's a quick rundown of a couple common areas of confusion, and how to resolve the winner: Two Players (or More) Have a Flush If more than one player has a flush, you award the pot to the player with the highest flush.

This includes all five cards, for example: Board: List of Poker Hand Rankings from Best to Worst Culture & Cosmos Card Games The Top Poker Hand Rankings The following page describes the ranking of poker hands. These are predominantly used in the Texas Hold'em and Omaha games, however can also be applicable to other card games such as Chinese Poker, Chicago, Poker Menteur and Paid Gow Poker. Hold'em and Omaha Hand Ranking In a given game of Hold'em or Omaha poker, players should use a full pack of 52 cards (including 4 suits), with jokers excluded. The ranking of individual cards follows upwards from 2. Thus, 2 would be the lowest ranking card, and Ace the highest. (Note however, that Aces can serve duo-purposes; with the Ace also providing the equivalent of 'one' in straights - i.e. A 4 5. In both Hold'em and Omaha, each poker hand must consist of 5 cards. We can distinguish between community cards - which are 'shared' cards facing up in the middle of the table and are available for all players to use, as well as pocket cards - which are the 2 hidden cards each player is dealt individually.

Most notably, the biggest difference between Hold'em and Omaha is that in Hold'em, players can use any of the 7 cards available to them to form their best five-carded hand. In Omaha however, the player must use both of his pocket cards in any 5-handed hand. Other than this, the rules of the two games are pretty much identical. With respect to hand ranking, there are a number of simple levels of hand that will win a player a pot. Palpably, the player with the best hand (highest ranked), will win the pot and a new round of betting and cards will be dealt. The following section provides the order and ranking of all the different hands. Also note, one of the core fundamentals in the hand ranking system is the better the hand, the rarer it is, and smaller probability of it happening. Royal Flush This represents the highest and rarest hand . It consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten - all in the same suit. The type of suit makes no difference. Straight Flush Five cards of the same suit in consecutive sequence. For example, 5, 8, 3, 3,9.

Like Full House, the winning 2 pair is decided by the highest pair a player owns. If two players have the same Two Pair, then the hand is won with the kicker (if this is also the same, the pot is split). Pair One of the most common hands you'll witness at the tables, a pair is a hand including 2 of the same value of card, irrelevant of the other cards in the hand or their suit - For example 3, 7, 4, 9. Again, if both players have a pair, the stronger pair wins the hand. And if both players have the same pair, then the hand is decided by the player with the highest card out of the 5 in the complete hand, thus 3, 20 Texas Hold'em Poker Odds & Statistics You Should Know | partypoker By the river, your chances of making a pair go up to roughly a half. 6. Straight talking If you flop an open-ended straight draw this gives you eight outs (eight possible cards that will complete the hand), so you'll hit your hand by the river 31.5% of the time.

Just make sure you're getting pot odds (the value of the pot versus the value of your bet) to see the next card. 7. Three of a kind If you already have a pair, the odds of flopping a set (three of a kind) are only 7.5/1 – so make sure you only play small pairs cheaply, and only if the pot is worth it. 8. Inside straight Rarely worth drawing to, with the turn and river cards to come you'll hit your gutshot straight (four outs) approximately 9% of the time. 9. Over-pair When two pairs go head to head, the bigger pair will win roughly 80% of the time (or four times out of five). So if you’ve got queens, and see a bet, raise and re-raise in front of you, you might be up against aces, kings, or possibly both. Time to fold. 10. Perfect cards If you need two exact cards on the turn and river, the chance of getting them both is only 0.3%. If you get one, there's a 4.55% chance of getting the other. 11.

It's a race A pair against two overcards is often called a coin-flip or race, because they each win about half the time. If the overcards are suited, the pair will win 46%-54% of the time, if not, 48%-57% of the time. 12. Kicker trouble If your top card matches the other person's, but your kicker is smaller (for example, queen against either ace or king, you’ve only got a 24% chance of winning (or about one in four). 13. Suited connectors People talk about middle suited connectors being better than aces, because of the straight and flush possibilities. But if you're holding the aces, don't panic – the over-pair will beat the suited connectors approximately 80% of the time. 14. Pocket pair It might not feel like it, but you'll be dealt a pocket pair on average once every 17 hands, or about 6% of the time. 15. Flush up There's a reason for folding low hands. Even if they’re suited, the chance of flopping a flush is only 0.8% – or 124/1.

16. Two by two The probability of flopping two-pair (from non-paired hole cards) is about 2%. 17. Full house I If you do get two pair on the flop, the chances of making at least a full house by the river is 16.74%. 18. Full house II But if you flop three-of-a-kind, the odds of making a full house or better by the river go up to 33.4%, or one in three. 19. Live cards You bluffed with random cards to steal the blinds and were called by A-K. Oops! Actually, your random lower cards will win about 35% of the time. 20. Don’t get hooked Pocket jacks is known as a big danger hand in Texas Hold’em. It may look good, but the chances of a higher card turning up on the flop is 52%, giving your ‘fish-hooks’ less than half a chance of survival. Are you a new player?

Rules of Poker - Texas Hold'em Rules of Poker - Texas Hold'em Texas Hold'em (or just "hold'em" for short) is currently the most popular variation of poker, thanks mainly to televised coverage of the World Series of Poker, the World Poker Tour, and various celebrity-based events. The no-limit version is often described as the "Cadillac of poker, taking only a minute to learn but a lifetime to master." ♣ Play of the Hand Each player is dealt two down (or hole) cards that only they can see. A round of betting occurs. Three community cards (known as the "flop") are dealt face up in the middle of the table. Another round of betting occurs. A fourth community card (known as the "turn") is dealt face up on the table. Another round of betting occurs. A fifth and final community card (known as the "river") is dealt face up on the table. A final round of better occurs. The player's hole cards are revealed and the player with the best five-card poker hand wins the pot. Your five card hand can consist of none, one, or both of your hole cards along with five, four, or three of the community cards.

If two or more players share the same best hand, the pot is divided equally among the winners. ♣ Rank of Hands Poker hands are ranked in the order specified below, lowest to highest. Note that only card rank (deuce through ace) matter in poker when comparing individual cards. The suits of clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades are all considered equal. High Card: Cards are ranked deuce (2) as the lowest to ace as the highest. If two or more players have the same high card, then the second highest card (and so on, to the fifth card if necessary) determine the winner. Pair: A pair (two cards of the same rank) beats high card. The highest pair is a pair of aces. If two or more players have the same pair, then the highest of the three remaining cards (known as kickers) determine the winner. Two Pair: Two pair beats a pair. If two or more players have two pair, then the highest pair determines the winner. For example, a pair of aces and sevens beats a pair of kings and queens. If two or more players have the same two pair then the fifth card kicker determines the winner.

Three of a Kind: Three of a kind (three cards of the same rank) beats two pair. Three aces is the best of these. If two or more players share the same three of a kind hand, the two remaining kickers determine the winner. Straight: A straight beats three of a kind. A straight is five consecutive card ranks. Aces can be high or low so the lowest straight is ace through five while the highest is ten through ace. There are no kickers with straights since all five cards are needed to make the hand. Flush: A flush beats a straight. A flush is any five cards all of the same suit (i.e., all diamonds or all spades, etc.). If two of more players share a flush then the player with the highest card (all the way to the fifth card if necessary) in the flush wins. Full House: A full house beats a flush. A full house is the combination of three of a kind and a pair. If two or more players have a full house then the player with the best three of a kind wins. If those are the same then the player with the best pair wins.

Four of a Kind: Four of a kind (four cards of the same rank) beats a full house. If two or more players share the same four of a kind, then the fifth card kicker determines the winner. Straight Flush: A straight flush (five consecutive cards all of the same suit) beats four of a kind. Aces can be high or low. An ace-high straight flush is called a royal flush, the best possible hand in poker. ♣ Betting Variations Texas Hold'em can be played in three basic variations: Limit Hold'em: In Limit Hold'em, the amount you can bet or raise is fixed, according to the posted stakes. A bet placed before the turn card (4th community card) is dealt is known as a "small bet" and is fixed at the size of the big blind. A bet placed after the turn card is dealt is known as a "big bet" and is equal to twice the size of the big blind. In tournament play, these stakes are raised at set intervals, referred to as "levels". For example, in a 100/200 level, the "small bet" is 100 and the "big bet" is 200.

This means that in the first two betting rounds (before and after the flop) you can bet or raise exactly 100 chips and in the last two betting rounds (before and after the river) you can bet or raise exactly 200 chips. In limit play, the betting is capped at three raises per round, unless two players are "heads-up" in the round. Pot Limit Hold'em: In Pot Limit Hold'em, there are no fixed stakes. Instead, you can bet or raise up to the amount currently in the pot. This includes bets in front of you plus your call. For example, if there are 100 chips in the pot and you are the first to act in the betting round, the maximum you can bet is 100 chips. But the next player could then call that 100 and raise an additional 300 chips. No Limit Hold'em: In No Limit Hold'em, you can bet all of your chips at any time (referred to as going "all-in"). In Pot Limit and No Limit games, the minimum bet or raise is equal to the big blind (see below). Once a player raises, the minimum reraise is equal to the last raise.

The minimum resets to the big blind on the next round of betting. ♣ Blinds and the Button In a home game, the players take turn dealing the cards, rotating clockwise. In casino and on-line play that use a dedicated dealer, a dealer button (or just the "button") is a white disk that is rotated clockwise among the players. The player that is "on the button" is the last to act in each betting round, after the flop. In Texas Hold'em, there are forced bets called "blinds" made prior to the dealing of the hole cards. These blinds are similar to antes except they only involve two players and the bets do not immediately go into the pot. The player to the left of the button posts the "small blind" and the next player posts the "big blind". The small blind is typically half of the big blind and the big blind is the minimum bet or raise that can be made in this and all subsequent rounds. In Limit Hold'em the big blind is equal to the "small bet". In tournament play, the blinds are raised at set intervals, or levels. This keeps the action going and puts a definite end point on the game.

Otherwise, players could just keep folding their hands and the game would go on for hours or days. Once the two blinds are posted, the player to the left of the big blind is the "first to act" and has the option of folding, calling the big blind bet, or raising. Play continues around to the button. Then the player who posted the small blind has the option to call or raise the bets so far. And the same goes for the player who posted the big blind. If no one raised the big blind then that player has the option to "check" and the flop will be dealt. There are no more forced bets after the flop and first person to the left of the button (who hasn't yet folded) will be the first to act in subsequent betting rounds. ♣ Side Pots A side pot is created when a player calls a bet but doesn't have enough chips to cover the bet or if a player raises when another player is already all-in. The main pot will only hold the chips that every player contributed equally to. The overflow bets go into the side pot, which the all-in player did not contribute to and therefore cannot win. There can be multiple side pots if there are multiple all-in players.

The last side pot created is the first side pot awarded after the showdown. The main pot is awarded last. Players who fold before the showdown forfeit their right to all pots, including the main pot. ♣♣♣

Question: In poker, what hand is next above two pairs?
Answer: THREE OF A KIND