Poker Hand Rankings

Introduction to Poker

“Poker has such an element of competitiveness that other games don't have” - Christopher Bryan Moneymaker. 

Poker is played with a deck of 52 cards. It is the most popular variant of card games across the globe. Learning the rules of poker is easy but mastering the game requires time and lots of practice. At Adda52 Poker School, you can learn poker and improve your knowledge and skills in an interesting and interactive way. Our poker lessons will explain in detail each and every aspect of the game like hand rankings, poker terms, table rules, starting hand selection etc which can help you prepare yourself to give your best performance on the poker tables.

Lesson 1:

Poker is a skill-based fun game which rewards the players if they play well. It is crucial to learn the basics if you want to play correctly and make it big in the world of poker and the first step is understanding the Hand rankings.

Hand ranking in poker is based on the combination of five cards. Each player is dealt two cards which shouldn’t be shown or known to the other players. Then the dealer lays 5 cards up in 3 betting rounds which is also known as the community cards. So combination of a player’s two cards with 3 strongest community cards would make a hand. 

A hand of the highest category can beat any hand of the lowest category. If two players have hands of the same value, the pot splits between two of them. You can look at the Hand Rank chart while playing in the beginning, till you have memorized it by heart.

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Poker Hand Ranking Guide ( Highest to Lowest)

1.Royal Flush

The unbeatable hand. The sequence of five highest possible cards (A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠) of the same suit. 

2.Straight Flush

The second best hand. Any five cards of the same suit in a sequence, e.g. - 10♦ 9♦ 8♦ 7♦ 6♦ 

3.Four of a Kind (Quads) 

Four cards of equal rank of any suit. The fifth card can be of any value, e.g. - Q♠ Q♦ Q♥ Q♣ 7♠

4.Full House (Full Boat)

Three of a kind and a pair. The hand which consists of 3 cards of  one rank and 2 cards of another rank, e.g- 10♦ 10♣ 10♥ 8♦ 8♠

5.Flush

All five cards of the same suit- For ex. - 5♥ 8♥ 9♥ J♥ K♥

6.Straight

Five cards of different suits but in a sequence. - 9♠ 10♥ J♦ Q♥ K♣

7.Three of a Kind (Triplets/Trips)

Three cards of the same rank and 2 unequal cards. - 9♥ 9♠ 9♣ 4♦ 5♠

8.Two-pair

Two pairs of cards of equal rank and 1 unpaired card, e.g.- 10♦ 10♣ 5♦ 5♠ J♣

9.Pair

Two cards of same rank and three cards of unequal rank. For ex.- 5♣ 5♦ 7♥ 10♣ Q♥

10.High Card

Five unequal cards of different suits that do not come under any above-mentioned categories. When comparing two same type of hands, the hand with the highest card wins.

Note - 

If both players hold card of the same value, the Kicker decides the winner. For example - In a Texas Hold’em game, if Player Rose has A♦ K♥ and player Jim has A♣ J♥ and the board shows 10♣ 7♦ 2♣ 6♥ 3♠, Player Rose wins as her kicker K is higher than Jim’s kicker card J.

Irrespective of whether you are playing Texas Hold’em, Omaha, or Crazy Pineapple, hand ranking remains the same.