Poker hand rankings

In the world of poker there are many different variations of the game incorporating different hands throughout. Poker hand rankings differ depending on the format of Poker that you are playing. The most common format available to UK gamers is Texas Holdem which use the following hand rankings to decide whether one hand is better than another.

The following guide lists the hand rankings in order from highest to lowest.

Royal Flush – The Royal Flush greatest possible hand in all forms of holdem. A Royal Flush consists of five suited cards in sequence from Ten through to Ace.

Straight Flush – A Straight Flush must consist of a five card sequence of the same suit, in a similar way to the Royal Flush. However, it can contain any consecutive suited cards. You can therefore achieve a straight flush from an Ace to Five up to a Nine to King and any consecutive cards in between.

Four Of A Kind – Often referred to as ‘Quads’, the Four of a Kind contains four, equally ranked cards. If more than one player holds quads then the winner is decided by the rank of the cards involved.

Full House – A Full House consists of a ‘Three of a Kind’ and a ‘Pair’. If multiple players hold a full house the value of the Three of a Kind is required to decide the overall value. If this is also shared then the value of the pair is required to decide the winner.

Straight – A Straight must contain five consecutive cards, but this time they do not need to be suited. The high card of the Straight dictates its strength if more than one player has a straight. If more than one player shares the same straight then the pot will be split.

Three of a kind – A Three of a Kind consists of three cards of the same value. This is a common hand for many players to share so often the additional pocket cards are required to decide the winner of the hand.

Two Pair – A Two Pair contains two pairs of cards of equal values. Winning hands will be decided by the higher of the two pairs, followed by the rank of the second pair if needed. If there is still no clear winner then the side cards again come into play.

Pair – As the name suggests a Pair is simply one pair of cards of any value. Most rounds will feature hands containing pairs and winning hands are decided purely on rank. The highest of the side cards is usually required to decide the final winner of the hand.

High Card – If none of the above hands have been produced the winner must be decided by the high card. The highest winning card is an Ace followed by a King and so on. If more than one player share the same one or two top cards then the remaining cards are required.