Poker Hand Rankings Explained

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Poker Hand Rankings

One of the biggest difficulties that newcomers to Poker face is the terrifying list of endless POKER HANDS that need to be memorized in order to have any clu. Being able to input your opponent’s range, and then see the breakdown of how many hands within their range fall under different categories of made poker hands (i.e. Straight, set, one pair, draws, etc.) helps to give a dynamic array of information - which players can practice with and utilise during their off-table study.


To play poker skillfully, it is important to understand the concept of poker hand rankings online. You will come across most players looking at each decision in reading a hand as a separate unit. But this is a big mistake, for; each and every poker hand you play will have an affect on the course of the entire game. Read on to know all on hand rankings in poker, which is the main purpose of this page.

  1. Poker Hand Rankings Chart. Print out this free poker hand rankings chart – and always know the best winning poker hands. Poker hands are ranked in order from best to worst.
  2. Poker hand strength fundamentals Tune up your game with statistical hand rankings that show you exactly which hands fare best long-term against multiple opponents. Of course, the fundamentals of poker are based on proper starting hand selection so take a look at the above charts and see how the cards you play rank.
  3. Standard Poker Hand Ranking There are 52 cards in the pack, and the ranking of the individual cards, from high to low, is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2.

Online poker hand rankings in poker are done on the basis of the odds against drawing them. The rarer the occurring frequency for a hand, the higher will be its ranking. It is a must for every poker player to be aware of the concept of hand rankings in poker. Some poker variations will use alternate hand rankings in poker. Below, you will see the standard poker hand rankings.

1. Straight Flush: It is made up of five cards of the same suit in sequence. The highest poker hand rankings are known as the straight flush, which is basically made up by the combination of a straight and a flush.

2. Four of a Kind: Ranked by the quads, it is a very rare hand ranking in poker, which comprises of four cards of the same value and one unrelated card.

3.Full House: Ranked by the trips, in poker games, a full house is made of three of a kind and a pair. Three queens and a pair of sixes is called as a full house.

4. One Pair: The lowest possible poker hand rankings online and is made up of two cards having same value and three unrelated cards.

Poker hand rankings explained chart

5. Two Pair: The next online poker hand ranking is known as two pair, which is made up of two cards having same values along with two other cards of the same value, and one unrelated card.

6. Three of a Kind: Three cards having same values and two unrelated cards make these

hand rankings in poker. It is also called a set or trips in poker games.

7. Four of a kind: In these poker hand rankings online, four cards of the same rank are accompanied by a 'kicker'.

8. Straight:The topping three of a kind is known as a straight in poker games. It is made up of five cards, any suit, following an uninterrupted order of value.

9. High card: Thisis any hand which does not meet the criteria as one of the better hands above.


Standard Poker Hand Rankings

There are 52 cards in the pack, and the ranking of the individual cards, from high to low, is ace, king, queen, jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. There is no ranking between the suits - so for example the king of hearts and the king of spades are equal.

A poker hand consists of five cards. The categories of hand, from highest to lowest, are listed in the chart below. Any hand in a higher category beats any hand in a lower category (so for example any three of a kind beats any two pairs). Between hands in the same category the rank of the individual cards decides which is better, as described in more detail below.

In games where a player has more than five cards and selects five to form a poker hand, the remaining cards do not play any part in the ranking. Poker ranks are always based on five cards only.

1. Royal Flush

This is the highest poker hand. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all in the same suit. As all suits are equal, all royal flushes are equal.

2. Straight Flush

Five cards of the same suit in sequence - such as J-10-9-8-7. Between two straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is higher. An ace can be counted as low, so 5-4-3-2-A is a straight flush, but its top card is the five, not the ace, so it is the lowest type of straight flush. The cards cannot 'turn the corner': 4-3-2-A-K is not valid.

3. Four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank - such as four queens. The fifth card can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as 'quads', and in some parts of Europe it is called a 'poker', though this term for it is unknown in English. Between two fours of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is higher - so 3-3-3-3-A is beaten by 4-4-4-4-2. It can't happen in standard poker, but if in some other game you need to compare two fours of a kind where the sets of four cards are of the same rank, then the one with the higher fifth card is better.

Poker Hand Rankings Explained

4. Full House

This consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank - for example three sevens and two tens (colloquially known as 'sevens full' or more specifically 'sevens on tens'). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher. For example 9-9-9-4-4 beats 8-8-8-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.

5. Flush

Five cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on. For example K-J-9-3-2 beats K-J-7-6-5 because the nine beats the seven.

6. Straight

Five cards of mixed suits in sequence - for example Q-J-10-9-8. When comparing two sequences, the one with the higher ranking top card is better. Ace can count high or low in a straight, but not both at once, so A-K-Q-J-10 and 5-4-3-2-A are valid straights, but 2-A-K-Q-J is not. 5-4-3-2-A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the five.

7. Three of a Kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Triplets or Trips. When comparing two threes of a kind the hand in which the three equal cards are of higher rank is better. So for example 5-5-5-3-2Poker Hand Rankings Explained beats Rankings4-4-4-K-Q. If you have to compare two threes of a kind where the sets of three are of equal rank, then the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand are compared, and if those are equal, the lower odd card is compared.

8. Two Pairs

A pair is two cards of equal rank. In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs are of different ranks (otherwise you would have four of a kind), and there is an odd card to make the hand up to five cards. When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards - so J-J-2-2-4 beats 10-10-9-9-8 because the jacks beat the tens. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, so that for example 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K. Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so Q-Q-5-5-8 beats Q-Q-5-5-4.

9. Pair

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A pair is a hand with two cards of equal rank and three other cards which do not match these or each other. When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better - so for example 6-6-4-3-2

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beats 5-5-A-K-Q. If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards. So J-J-A-9-3 beats J-J-A-8-7 because the 9 beats the 8.

10. High Card

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Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal too the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.

Poker Hand Rankings Explained Chart

A plastic wallet sized Poker Card Ranking card is available at F.G. Bradley’s stores or online here.