Poker Hands Explained: Full Guide for Beginners

Overview of Poker Hand Rankings

Knowing poker hand rankings is one of the most crucial steps when playing poker. You can play well if you don’t understand what you hold and whether it’s likely to win. There are usually two types of poker hand rankings: high hand rankings and low hand rankings. The difference between the two is that the goal in high hand rankings is to get the highest poker hand. In low hand ranking, however, the objective is to get the lowest hand. We will only look at the high hand rankings, commonly used in the most popular poker variants like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and Seven Card Stud, at this time.

Here is our list of the best 10 poker hands in high hand rankings, from the strongest to the weakest.

1. Royal Flush

2. Straight Flush

3. Four-of-a-Kind

4. Full House

5. Flush

6. Straight

7. Three-of-a-Kind

8. Two Pair

9. One Pair

10. High Card

Detailed Breakdown of Each Hand

Royal Flush

Also known as an Ace High Straight Flush, a Royal Flush is the highest-ranking poker hand. Its card combination consists of ace, king, queen, jack and ten (A, K, Q, J, 10), all in the same suit. The odds of hitting a Royal Flush are extremely low, making it a once-in-a-lifetime chance for many poker fans. This rarity to hit this card combination adds to the appeal and excitement of every poker game session, as the potential for such a hand, however slight, keeps every player on the edge of their seats.

Straight Flush

Though not quite popular and nowhere near as rare as the Royal Flush, the Straight Flush is the next best poker hand you can hit. It consists of five, same-suited cards in sequential ranks.  But keep in mind that the five cards don't have to be the ten, jack, queen, king, and ace, which makes this poker hand far more common, but still rare.

An example of a Straight Flush poker hand is 4♥️5♥️6♥️7♥️8, and it has odds of about 1 in 72,193 during any hand in variants like Texas Hold’em. You could also get up to 36 combinations of Straight Flush poker hands.

Four-of-a-Kind

Four of a Kind, or quads, is the third-best poker hand, and it includes four cards of the same value with a separate fifth ‘kicker’ card. It usually ranks below the Royal Flush and Straight Flush poker hands.

When looking to get a Four of a Kind hand, remember that the kicker’s rank determines the strength of your hand. This often happens when two or more players have a Four of a Kind hand after the showdown. For example, K♠️K♥️K♣️ K♦️3🖤 outranks 2♦️2♥️2♠️2♣️9♥️poker hand. Also, quads of the same value but differing by suit are of equal standing.

Full House

A Full House, also known as a full boat, is formed by three cards of one rank and two cards of another. Normally, it does not matter which way round it is. For instance, you could have three kings and two aces or two kings and three aces. 

When determining which Full House is stronger, if comparing two Full House hands, the hand with the highest-ranking three of a kind always beats that with the lower-ranking three of a kind. For example, A♥️A♦️A♠️K♥️K♦️is a stronger Full House than A♣️A♠️K♠️K♠️K♥️because the three-of-a-kind is higher. But if the three-of-a-kind are equal, the pair decides the winning hand.

Flush

Just like in the Straight Flush, a Flush poker hand forms a five-card combination where every card belongs to the same suit. In this poker hand, the suit does not matter because all suits are considered equal in value. As long as your hands contain five cards all in one suit, you have a Flush.

An example of a Flush hand is A♦️5♦️2♦️9♦️J, which depicts an Ace-high flush. Another example is Q♣️J♣️6♣️7♣️2♣️, which represents a Queen-high flush.

Straight

A Straight poker hand consists of five cards that are different and consecutive in numerical value. However, the cards should not belong to the same suit. The power of a Straight, such as J♦️10♠️9♣️ 8♥️7, can mean significant poker wins, especially with higher-ranking cards. But if there are two Straights in a hand after showdown, the player with the hand containing the highest cards wins. You should also remember that aces can only be a part of a Straight hand if they act as a bookend.

Three-of-a-Kind

A Three of a Kind is a poker hand consisting of three cards of equal value and two cards that don’t match, making it pretty easy to recognise.  However, this hand can get a little bit confusing when it comes to distinguishing between Trips and a Set, which are both types of Three-of-a-Kind hands.

A Set is when you have a pair in your hand, such as 8♦️8♣️, matched with another 8♥️ on the board. Trips, on the other hand, happen when there’s a pair on the board, like 9♥️9♦️5♠️, and you hold another 9♣️ in your hand.

Two Pair

A Two Pairs hand consists of two cards of one value, two of another, and a separate kicker (a fifth, unpaired card). If two players have a Two Pairs hand in the same game session, the higher pair determines the winner. But if those are also equal, the highest value of the second pair determines the winner. The second pair can also be equal. In such a case, the tiebreaker would be the kicker.

So, if you hold 10♥️10♣️ and the board features 5♦️5♣️3♠️, then you would have Two Pair, Tens and Fives.

One Pair

One Pair poker hand consists of two cards of equal value and three other unpaired (unrelated) cards. For example, if you have 10♥️10♣️ in your hand, then you would have One Pair of Tens. 

There are other scenarios where you could have a One Pair hand. Let's say you hold K♥️Q♠️, and the flop is K♣️J♦️3♠️, you would also have a One Pair hand. This is because you would have paired your K♥️ with the K♣️ on the board. 

When comparing one ‘One Pair’ hand to another, especially when two players have One Pair hands, the highest pair wins.

High Card

This is the lowest or the worst possible poker hand. In this hand, all five cards have different card values, don't share the same suit, and are not sequential. 

So, how do you determine the winner in an event where two players have a High Card poker hand? You compare the highest-ranking card. That means, if a player holds an ace while the opponent's highest card is a queen, the one with the ace wins. But if this ends up in a draw, compare their next highest card, and so on.

How Poker Hands Are Compared

When playing your favourite poker variant, like Texas Hold’em, it is possible that the best hand may be held by more than one player. In such an event, the tie is broken using the highest card outside the main combination (the Kicker). This subtle but important aspect of the game adds extra strategy, especially in common hands like One Pair or Two Pairs.

Like most aspects in poker games, kickers also play an essential role in how you’re supposed to play, especially in popular games like Texas Hold’em. For instance, they can help you determine the hand you should play before the flop.

Even with different tie-breaker rules between variants, sometimes two hands can’t be separated as they rank the same in all tie-breaking scenarios. If this happens, the pot is split between the players in proportion to the size of their bets.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

If you have just started playing poker, or you are a seasoned player, there are some common mistakes you should avoid to get an enjoyable and rewarding poker experience.

Typically, Full House and Flush are two of the most common poker hands, and you might tend to think that Flush beats Full House, especially if you are new to the game. The truth is that a Full House always beats a Flush. Why? It all comes down to maths. Full House occurs much less frequently (there are only 3,744 possible ways to make a Full House) than a Flush, which has 5,108 possible ways to hit.

Other common mistakes players make include overvaluing low pairs and misreading the board, such as not knowing when to raise, fold, make a move, or put out the blinds.

Responsible Gambling

To succeed playing with the best poker hands, you need to play responsibly and come up with a strict and effective bankroll management plan. This prevents you from overspending and losing all your money. Setting bet limits can also prevent you from going down the limit too fast when you’re dealt a bad run of cards. 

In addition, many poker sites and online casinos let you set a self-exclusion strategy and deposit limits to help you from overspending, chasing losses, or spending too much time in a game than you initially planned. If you are unable to control your gambling urges and habits, however, you can use hotlines or helplines available in many reputable online casinos and seek professional assistance.