Not sure what poker hand you are holding? Just have a look at our detailed poker hand ranking guide — ranked from best to worst. Read on to find out more, and remeber to check out book of dead free spins!
List of Poker Hands
You can win a poker game in two ways: either by forcing your opponents to fold their cards, or to master all the poker hands and show the best one at the showdown.
Poker has become one of the most popular card games, especially poker tournaments since players can play against each other rather than playing against “the house” and losing. However, many fail to realize that in order to be an exceptional poker player, you need to genuinely understand poker gameplay and the strategies behind this casino game.
The good news is that the route towards self-improvement as a poker player is not as hard as it may seem. The first step is learning all the poker hand rankings. Once you are thoroughly familiar with all the different hands you might be dealt, you will be able to understand how to play poker more successfully and focus more on creating better poker strategies to help you win.
Another good thing about poker is that poker hands are the same between a wide variety of poker versions, e.g. Texas Hold’Em; however, all of these variants use traditional hand rankings that were developed way back in the 19th century. Nowadays, poker is everywhere, and computerized video poker is also widely popular all around the world. Variations of video poker include Deuces Wild, Joker Poker online game, Jacks or Better, Tens or Better, Double Double Bonus, and offer many winning card combinations, great odds as well as high payouts. Try some poker apps here
So without further ado, we present you with poker hand rankings from best to worst.
Hand Ranking
Royal Flush
This is the rarest poker hand you could possibly hope for, also known as a Royal Routine. If you are lucky enough to get this hand, you will be able to recognize it quickly — it runs straight from ten to ace, with all cards of the same suit. The chances are low — less than 0.0015% of hitting this winning hand; yet, it cannot be beaten by any other hand in poker.
Straight Flush
Any straight with all cards of the same suit is more known as a Straight Flush. Bear in mind that every straight flush is ranked by the rank of its highest-ranking card. There is a small chance that your hand might get beaten at the poker table if you are dealt with a Straight Flush hand. So when it comes to the chance of getting this hand, you are looking at 0.0015% or every 72,192 times the dealer shuffles.
Four of a Kind
In this hand, out of the five cards you are holding, four cards should be of the same rank. If two opponents at the poker table hold the same hand, then the player who has the four of a kind with the highest card rank wins. However, if both players hold the same four of a kind, the kicker card, or the fifth card, is decisive. This hand is more known as quads, and the chances of hitting it are around 0.024% or one out of 4,165 times the cards are dealt.
Full House
This hand is popularly called ‘aces full of sevens’ or ‘full boat,’ and it consists of three of a kind plus a pair. The most important rule is that the rank of the cards in the three-of-a-kind part determines the hand strength. There are over 3744 full house combinations, and your chances of hitting this hand are slightly better — 0.14% or one out of 693 times.
Flush
A flush consists out of five cards of the same suit, non-consecutive. The winning player is decided by the highest individual card. For instance, when comparing two flushes, the one containing an ace (ace-high flush) will beat the king-high flush. There are 0.20% chances of hitting this hand or one in 508 times.
Straight
Also better known as The Wheel, this poker hand consists of five consecutive ranked cards in multiple suits, while the ace can go both ways — it can be considered a high or low card. An ace-high hand goes by another name — Broadway. There are over 10240 different combinations with this hand, and you have 0.39% chances of hitting Straight hand, or one out of 254 times, which are considered to be more favorable odds.
Three of a Kind
Next comes the three-of-a-kind, or more commonly known to poker players as Trips or a Set. The rules require you to hold three cards of the same rank out of five. It is best to hope for three aces as it is the best possible three-of-a-kind to make, but there are over 54,912 different variants you could get. Your chances are around 2.1%, or one out of 46.3 poker hands.
Two Pairs
As the name suggests, this hand consists of two cards of the same rank in your 5-card hand. In this hand, the ranking of the cards is crucial. For instance, two pairs of kings or queens will surely beat two pairs of queens and jacks. There are over 123,552 possibilities, and the highest pair will decide whether you win or lose. You are looking at 4.75% chances of hitting this poker hand or one out of 20 times.
One Pair
If you can form a hand containing two cards of the same value, you are holding a pair, or in other words — any two cards of equal rank make a pair in poker. In the event of a tie, the rule is that the highest pair wins. If players are holding the same pair, the highest side card will be decisive in this case. The second or the third-highest side card are also used to break the tie. You will encounter over 1,000,000 combinations and meet 42.5% chances of hitting this poker hand.
High Card
The High Card rule is used for those who did not make any of the poker hands listed above. This hand consists of five unpaired cards, and the highest-ranked one determines the value of the player’s hand. The cards are ranked from lowest to highest as 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K, A. If there is a tie in deciding the first highest ranked card, then the second-highest is taken into consideration, and so forth. Obviously, your chances of hitting this are 50%, and there are 2,500,000 different combinations of five unpaired cards. In poker jargon, this hand is commonly used with a phrase — when only the Bluff wins the pot.
Final Thoughts
If you are a novice, take our advice and don’t fall into the trap of playing just any two cards. It is easy to be seduced by suited cards or picture cards, but eventually, you will come to realize that the best way to play poker is to play selectively, and just toss away the majority of hands you are dealt with.
When you gain more poker experience and participate in many different tournaments, you will be able to open up your range of starting hands and think beyond the cards you’re dealt! But until then, we advise you to play with caution and avoid the kind of promiscuous gameplay that has proven to be the downfall of many players.
Make sure you master the poker hand rankings, and always bear in mind that while poker hand rankings will never change, the circumstances at the table, also known as the ‘bluff effect,’ will inevitably affect the value of your hand.
So just commit this list of poker hands rankings to memory and change the course of your next poker tournament!