Poker hands – Understanding rankings
In the game of poker there is a simple order of winning hands that each participating player wishes to achieve. This can be surmised as if I player has a royal three kings and two jacks then their hand is better than someone who is holding a straight such as the 5, 6,7, 8, 9 of various suits. Below I have endeavored to list the order of winning poker hands in an effort to make it much easier and enjoyable for all poker players.
1. Royal Flush
A royal flush is when a player achieves and holds an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten of a particular suit.
2. Straight Flush
A straight flush is where a player holds five consecutive cards of a single suit such as a 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 of diamonds.
3. Four of a Kind
Four of a kind is exactly as the name implies and is where the player holds any four of the same card such as the king of diamonds, king of spades, king of hearts and the king of clubs.
4. Full House
A full house is achieved when a player holds three of one card and two of another such as the queen of hearts, queen of clubs, queen of spades, jack of clubs and the jack of diamonds.
5. Flush
A flush is where a player holds five cards of any one suit, these need not be consecutive such as the player having a two of diamonds, four of diamonds, seven of diamonds, nine of diamonds and the ace of diamonds.
6. Straight
A straight is achieved when I player gains a collection of running numbers of any suit such as the two of spades, three of clubs, four of clubs, five of diamonds and the six of spades.
7. Three of a Kind
Three of a kind as it is aptly named is where a player holds three cards of match denomination such as the queen of spades, queen of harts and queen of clubs.
8. Two Pair
Again this hand is exactly as the name states with the player requiring two pairs of the same denomination of card such as holding a three of spades, three of diamonds, nine of clubs and a nine of spades.
9. One Pair
One pair is the second lowest hand requiring the player to hold two of the same cards such as having a six of clubs and a six of diamonds.
10. High Card
When all else fails the high card is used and is the lowest hand in poker. If there are two players who hold this hand then the winner shall be decided by the player who holds the highest card such as one holding a six of diamonds and one holding a nine of clubs. The player with the nine of clubs would be considered the winner as he holds the highest denomination of cards. There are other Poker Resources as well as detailed descriptions on Poker available on our website.
This has been a basic overview of the hands available in poker, I hope it helps you in your games and makes you fully aware of all the ways to win in this exciting and unique game.