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A poker hand comprises of Five cards and in most poker games, the highest-ranked hand is the winner.
You want to know how to learn poker hands and which poker hands beat which? For beginners especially, it’s always interesting to learn the names of all the hands so you can start to understand how the game ebbs and flows.
Players—both amateur and professional—know all the hands… do you?
As usual, we’ve got you covered.
Royal Flush
0.000002% – 1 out of 649,740
An ace high straight, all in the same suit. All suits are of equal value in poker.
Straight Flush
0.000015% – 1 out of 72,193
A five card straight, all in the same suit. If more than 1 player has this hand, the one with the highest value card wins.
Four of a kind
0.00024% – 1 out of 4,165
Any four cards of the same value. If more than 1 player has this hand, the one with the highest 5th card, the “kicker”, wins.
Full House
0.0014% – 1 out of 694
Any three cards (a set) of the same value and a pair of another value. If more than 1 player has this hand, the one with the highest set wins. If they have the same set, then the one with the highest pair wins. If they have the same set and pair, then the pot is shared equally.
Flush
0.002% – 1 out of 509
Any 5 cards of the same suit, but don’t need to be in sequential order. The highest value card determines the strength of the flush, with an Ace high flush being the strongest.
Straight
0.004% – 1 out of 255
Any 5 cards in sequential order, but doesn’t need to be in the same suit. Aces can count as either a high or a low card. Our example shows an Ace high straight, which is the strongest.
Click below to download the official high-resolution ‘Poker Hands Ranking’ PDF for free which is perfect to have at hand or on your phone while you get to grips with the game. Free Download – Poker Hands Ranking Guidesheet (0.68mb)
Three of a Kind
0.02% – 1 out of 47
Any 3 cards of the same value. A set of Aces with a King and Queen as a side card is the strongest possible Three of a Kind.
Two Pairs
0.05% – 1 out of 21
Any 2 cards of the same value, along with another 2 cards of the same value. The highest value pair determines the strength of the hand. A pair of Aces and pair of Kings is the strongest possible hand. If 2 players were to have the same Two Pairs, then the remaining card (A.K.A. the ‘kicker’) determines the winner.
One Pair
0.4% – 1 out of 2
Any 2 cards of the same value. A pair of Aces with a King, Queen and Jack as side cards is the strongest possible One Pair.
High Card
0.5% – 1 out of 2
If no one has any of the above, then it’s down to who has the highest single card that determines the winner. Our example shows the strongest possible High Card hand. To clear any confusion, the 0.5% represents the possibility of getting no significant poker hand at all, which defaults to the being ranked by the ‘High Card’.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are over 2.5 million possible poker hands to legitimately play.
In Texas Hold’em, beginners should stick to the top 15 starting hands and fold the rest: AA, KK, QQ, AK (suit), JJ, 1010, AQ , suit), AJ (suit), AK (off-suit), KQ (suit), A10 (suit), KJ (suit), AQ (off-suit), 99, JQ (suit).
1098240.
1 out of 649,740 or 0.000002%.
3744.
52.
Knowing how much to bet is the bread and butter of poker. As always, it depends on the situation but generally if you have a higher ranked hand then it’s safe to bet more. However, if you’re going for a bluff then logic gets thrown to the side.
2,598,960.
