Hand Ranking

The hands below are ranked in order with the top hand being the best hand.

Royal Flush

This is the highest poker hand. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack, ten, all in the same suit. All the suits are equal which means all royal flushes are equal.

Straight Flush

This is when five cards of the same suit are in sequence - such as 10-9-8-7-6 of clubs. The better straight flush is the one with the highest high card. For the purposes of a straight flush an ace is counted as low. The cards cannot "turn the corner": 4-3-2-A-K is not a valid hand.

Four of a kind (Quads)

This is when your hands has four cards which are all the same. The fifth card can be anything you. If two people have the same four of a kind then the higher fifth card is the better the hand although this can not happen in normal poker. The better of two four of a kind hands is the one with the higher set of four cards. For example, four jacks beats four nines even if their fifth card is an ace and yours is a two.

Full House

This consists of three cards which are the same in rank and two cards of another rank. The hand is referred to ? full of ? mark For example, three sixes and two fours is known as sixes full of fours. When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 4-4-4-4-6 beats 3-3-3-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would be used to decide decide.

Flush

This is a hand comprised of five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is winnign hand. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared and so on until there is a difference. If all the cards are equal then the pot is split.

Straight

This is a hand made up of five cards of varying suits in order. For example, 2-3-4-5-6. When comparing two sequences, the one with the higher ranking top card is the winning hand. Ace can not count as both high and low but a straight can not "turn the corner" therefore K-A-1-2-3 is not a straight. 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five because the ace counts counts as low.

Three of a Kind

This a hand containing three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Trips. When comparing two threes of a kind the hand in which the three equal cards are of higher rank is the winning hand. If the two trips are equal than the highest of the other two cards are compared and if they are equal then the other card is compared.

Two Pairs

A pair is 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), plus a fifth card. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards. For example, K-K-4-4-5 beats Q-Q-J-J-A. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, and if both pairs are equal then the fifth card is compared.

Pair

A hand with two cards of equal rank and three other cards which do not match these or each other. When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is the winning hand irrospective of the other cards. 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 last card of each hand.


High Card

Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal then the second card is compared and so on. Therefore, a 7 high is the worst hand possible because 2 high is not possible.

Be lucky!!

Chris