Poker Hand Rankings
Royal Flush: The highest possible poker
hand, a royal flush combines an Ace high straight and a flush. Made up
of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten, all of the same suit. If two
players hold a royal flush, they split the pot.
Straight Flush: A straight flush is like a
royal flush, with five cards forming a straight and flush, but not an
Ace high. An example of a straight flush is, a nine, eight, seven, six
and five all of the same suit. When two players hold a straight flush,
the player whose hand starts with the highest card wins. When both hands
contain the same high card, they split the pot.
Four of a Kind: A hand containing four
cards of the same rank, like four Aces or four Jacks. When two players
each have a four of a kind, the highest ranked hand wins. In the event
that both players hold the same four of a kind, the player with the
highest fifth card, often called a kicker, wins the pot.
Full House: Three cards of one rank and
two of another rank form a full house. Examples of full houses include
three Kings and two tens or three fours and two Aces. When two players
have a full house, the player with the highest three of a kind wins the
pot. In the two examples, the hand with three Kings is the higher hand.
Flush: A flush is a hand with all five
cards of the same suit, either five Hearts, Clubs, Spades or Diamonds.
When two or more players each have a flush, the hand with the highest
card wins. If two hands have the same highest card, the next highest
card is compared, and so on, until one hand is determined to be higher
than the other.
Straight: Five cards in numerical sequence
form a straight, like six, five, four, three and two. When two or more
players have a straight, the one with the highest card wins. If two
players have straights with the same highest card, they split the pot.
Suits do not matter when determining the strength of a straight. An Ace
can play as the highest card, in Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, or the low
card in five, four, three, two, Ace. The Ace is the only rank that can
be used this way.
Three of a kind: Three cards of the same
rank, like three Jacks or three eights. When two players have three of a
kind, the highest ranked three of a kind wins the pot. If two players
have the same three of a kind, the player with the highest fourth card
wins.
Two pair: A hand consisting of two cards
of the same rank, in combination with two other cards of the same rank,
like two tens and two sixes. When two players have two pair, the one
with the highest pair wins. If two players have the same highest pair,
the highest second pair wins, followed by the highest fifth card, or
kicker.
One pair: Hands that contain only two
cards of the same rank, like two Aces or two Jacks, with three unmatched
cards have one pair. When two or more players have one pair, the
highest pair wins. If two players have the same pair, the highest third
card wins.
High card: A hand containing none of the
combinations listed above ranks as a high card hand. When two or more
players have high card hands, the highest card wins, followed by the
second highest card, third highest card, etc. in the case of ties. Hands
are ranked from Ace down through two.
