The Basics of Poker Hand Ranking

In poker, the ranking of hands is an essential part of the game. The player with the best poker hand ranking will typically win the pot. In this article, we will take a look at the ranking of hands in poker, from highest to lowest. We will also discuss some of the most common winning hands.

The rank of poker hands in order from highest to lowest

You first need to know that the Ace is the highest card, followed by the King, Queen, Jack, and then the numbers 10 through 2. Next, four suits are in a deck of cards: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs. When two players have the same hand (e.g., both have a flush), the one with the higher ranking card within their hand wins (e.g., an Ace-high flush beats a King-high flush). Here are all the possible poker hands, from strongest to weakest:

Royal Flush, the highest hand in poker

A royal flush is an ace-high straight flush, meaning it's a sequential run of cards (like 10-J-Q-K-A) in the same suit. It is the rarest and strongest hand you can have in poker.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is a five-card sequential run of the same suit (e.g., 7-8-9-10-J of clubs). The higher the cards are in sequence, the stronger the straight flush is (e.g., 10-J-Q-K-A is better than 7-8-9-10-J).

Four of a Kind

Four of a kind means you have four cards of the same rank (e.g., 9s, Queens, etc.). When two players have four of a kind, the hand with the higher rank wins (e.g., four 10s beats four 6s).

Full House

A full house is when you have three of a kind and a pair in the same hand (e.g., three 8s and two Kings). The higher ranking three-of-a-kind wins in case of a tie (e.g., three 10s beats three 6s).

Flush

A flush is any five cards of the same suit but not in sequence (e.g., Q-J-10-6-3 of clubs). When two players have a flush, the one with the highest-ranking card within their flush wins.

Straight

A straight is a five-card sequential run of cards, but they aren't all of the same suit (e.g., 5-6-7-8-9 of mixed suits). The higher the cards are in sequence, the stronger the straight is (e.g., 10-J-Q-K-A is better than 5-6-7-8-9).

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind is when you have three cards of the same rank (e.g., three Jacks, three 7s, etc.). When two players have three of a kind, the hand with the higher rank wins (e.g., three 10s beats three 6s).

Two Pair

Two pair is when you have two pairs of cards in the same hand (e.g., two 9s and two Queens). When two players have two pair, the one with the higher ranking pairs wins (e.g., two 10s and two Queens beats two 9s and two Jacks).

One Pair

One pair is when you have two cards of the same rank in your hand (e.g., two 7s). When two players have one pair, the one with the higher ranking pair wins (e.g., a pair of 10s beats a pair of 7s).

High Card

A high card hand is when you don't have any of the above hands, but you have the highest ranking card in your hand (e.g., an Ace, King, or Queen). When two players have a high card hand, the one with the highest ranking card wins.

What happens when two players have the same poker card rankings?

In poker, two players can sometimes have the same hand. For example, if both players have a flush, the player with the highest card in their flush is the winner. If the highest card is a tie, then the second-highest card is used to determine the winner, and so on. If all the cards in the flush are tied, then the pot is split evenly between the two players. The same process is used for other poker hands, such as two pairs or three of a kind. The player with the highest card in their hand wins. The pot is split evenly between the two players in case of a tie.

So if two players have a flush with an Ace as their highest ranking card, the one with the next highest ranking card in their hand would win. For example, player A has 9-6-4-3-A, and player B has 8-5-4-3-A, so player A would win because their 9 is higher than player B's 8.

Does suit of hand determine poker hand strength?

In poker, one crucial thing to understand is that the suit of the hand does not affect poker hand strength. In poker, the suits are all of equal value - no suit is higher than any other suit. This means that if you have a flush, it doesn't matter if it is all spades, all hearts, all diamonds, or all clubs. What matters is the strength of the hand, which is determined by the rank of the cards. So, if you have a flush with all high cards, that is a much stronger hand than a flush with low cards. The same is true for straight flush and full house hands. Therefore, when you are playing poker, don't get too caught up in the suits - just focus on the strength of your hand.

Poker hand rankings are essential to understand if you want to be a successful poker player. By knowing the ranking of hands, you can make better decisions while playing the game. GGPoker, the world's largest poker room, believes in educating players and providing them with all the tools they need to be successful. It offers an extensive range of learning materials, from tutorials on playing different poker variants to articles that teach you about the psychology of the game. Sign up today and join the thousands of other players who have already taken their poker game to the next level using GGpoker's resources.