ChristineOHand rankings in poker might seem simple to people who’ve been playing for a long time and tricky to understand if you’re new to the game.
But the truth is, everyone could do with a little brush up when it comes to hand rankings in poker. Sure, you need to know what hands beat what other hands. But you also need to know the exceptions to the rules.
Like learning how to spot a bluff, how to play in different positions and the basics of poker terminology, hand rankings are really your bread and butter of poker strategy. Before you buy any poker strategy book or listen to a poker podcast, you should know your hand rankings inside and out.
And luckily for you, we’re here to spell it all out for you.
What games do these hand rankings in poker apply to?
There are exceptions to the rules, of course. But we’re going to tackle the most common hand ranking in poker, which applies to games such as Texas Hold’em and Omaha. And yes, these rankings still count for exciting variants like Twister and whether you’re playing a cash game or a tournament. These are the most popular poker games by a country mile in online, home games and bricks and mortar poker rooms.
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What is a hand in poker?
Your hand in poker is what you use to compete against your opponents at showdown. It is a five-card hand made up of a combination of your own hole cards and the community cards that every player can use.
Hand rankings in poker, from strongest to weakest
Royal flush
Where are all my royals at? We’ve got a whole parade of them here. All of the same suit, the strongest hand ranking in poker is A, K, Q, J, 10.
Straight flush
Like a royal flush, this is all of the same suit and in sequence. But it doesn’t go as high as an ace. For example, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same value. For example, four Jacks.
Full house
Three cards of the same value alongside two cards that are also of the same value. For example, three 10s and two 3s.
Flush
Five cards of any value, all in the same suit. For example hearts of 10, 8, 4, 3, 2.
Straight
Any five cards in sequence of any suit.
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same value.
Two pair
Two cards of the same value, plus another two cards of the same value.
Pair
Two cards of the same value.
High card
Your hand doesn’t tick any of the boxes above, so the only way you can compete is with your highest individual card in your hand.
Turning hand rankings in poker on their head for lowball
Lowball poker games have their value systems all screwed up. Instead of valuing the traditionally stronger cards in regular hand rankings in poker, you win with the weakest hands. A major example of this is Razz.
You can also find hi-lo poker games, where the pot is split between the two players who each get the highest and lowest value hands. Omaha Hi-Lo is the example that many poker players are familiar with.
A little shake up with Six Plus too
If you find yourself at a Six Plus table, things are also a little different. Because this is played with a short deck of cards, the strength of the hand rankings are affected. So in this game, a flush is stronger than a full house.
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