Ever wonder what beats what in poker? Here we cover the ranking of poker hands.

 

Royal Flush

 

A Royal Flush is the highest and rarest ranking hand when playing poker online. It consists of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten - all in the same suit. The type of suit does not matter in a Royal Flush.

 

Straight Flush

 

This is five cards of the same suit in consecutive sequence. Like with a Royal Flush, the type of suit makes no difference. In a straight flush, while an Ace can be used as the highest and lowest card, a hand cannot be formed with the Ace not starting or finishing the sequence.

 

Four of a Kind

 

A Four of a Kind rank is just that - any 4 of the same cards in one hand. Keep in mind that four of a kind does not fulfill the requirements of a five-card hand. Therefore, if two or more players both have a four of a kind hand, the fifth card, or kicker, would determine who wins. The higher the kicker, the stronger the hand.

 

Full House

 

Full House is one of the best hands you can get. This consists of a pair - two cards of the same value, along with a three of a kind. The strength of the full house is based on the dominating set.

 

Flush

 

The flush, while still rare, is still considered one of the highest ranking hands. A flush is five of any cards of the same suit. Because all suits have equal value, the strength of the suit is based on the highest card in the hand. If the highest card of the suit is equal, then the second highest card wins. If both/all players have the exact same hand and strength of suit, then the pot is drawn.

 

Straight

 

A straight hand is five cards of mixed suit in sequential order. The player with the highest straight wins the pot. Remember, like with a straight flush, an Ace must start or end the sequence of numbers.

 

Three of a Kind

 

Three of a Kind is when a player has 3 cards of the same value. In poker, this hand is commonly referred to as a 'set'.

 

Two Pair

 

This happens when 2 different pairs of cards appear in the same hand.

 

Pair

 

This is one of the most common hands when you play poker online. This is a hand which includes 2 of the same value of card, irrelevant of the other cards in the hand or suit. If two players have a pair, the highest pair wins.

 

High Card

 

When a player has none of the abovementioned hands, the winner will be the player with the highest card, making the best 5 card hand.

 

Author bio

 

This article was written for All Africa Poker and offers tips on how to play poker hands online.