Poker Hand Rankings

Most poker variations use the following poker hand rankings to determine the winners of each hand. Some poker variations (such as Triple Draw Lowball) play with these hand rankings completely backwards but it will still help to be familiar with each of the following hands:

Royal Flush – The cards Ten through Ace all of the same suit. Example: Td Jd Qd Kd Ad

Straight Flush – Five sequential cards of the same suit. Example: 4s 5s 6s 7s 8s

Four of a Kind – Four cards of the same rank. Example: 7d 7s 7h 7c As

Full House – Three of a kind and one pair in the same hand. Example: 6s 6 h 6c Ks Kh

Flush – Five cards of the same suit. Example: As 3s Js Ts 8s

Straight – Five cards in sequence. Example: Ts Jd Qh Kc As

Three of a Kind – Three cards of the same rank. Example: 5d 5s 5h Ac Kh

Two Pairs – Two separate pairs in the same hand. Example: 5d 5s Ac Ah Qc

One Pair – Two cards of the same rank. Example: 9s 9h Tc Qh As

High Card – When all else fails, the hand containing the highest card wins. If two hands have the same high card, the next highest card is used to determine the winner.