Hands of Poker
What is a Poker Hand?
Hands of poker are sets of five playing cards that are ranked according to the poker rule and poker chart. Each poker hand has a rank, which is compared against the ranks of others participating in the game. The better your hand, the higher your chances of winning.
Poker Hand Rankings or Poker Sequence
For playing poker game, you need to know all about poker hands rank and poker sequence. There are 10 different hands of poker, which are ranked from the strongest to the weakest below. Let’s take a look at all the poker hands and their order, sequence or rankings.
1. Royal Flush
The royal flush is the strongest hand in the poker cards ranking chart. The "Royal Flush" consists of an Ace, King, Queen, Jack and 10, all of the same suit. It is one of the rarest poker sequences and is considered the invincible poker hands rank.
10♥-J♥-Q♥-K♥-A♥ (all of the same suit, ♥)
What is superior to Royal Flush in Poker?
Royal Flush is the highest of all hands and there are no hands that are superior to Royal Flush. Only another set of Royal Flush can lead to a tie.
What is inferior to Royal Flush in Poker?
Royal Flush being the highest, all other hands are inferior to it, which includes, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, High Card.
2. Straight Flush
A Straight Flush has the second most difficult poker hand rank in the poker hierarchy. The “Straight Flush” consists of 5 consecutive cards of the same suit. It’s one of the high-value hands of poker and can only be beaten by a Royal Flush, which is the highest Straight Flush.
5♣-6♣-7♣-8♣-9♣ (all of the same suit, ♣)
What is superior to Straight Flush in Poker?
Royal Flush and other straight flushes are superior to a straight flush.
What is inferior to Straight Flush in Poker?
Straight Flush will easily defeat Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, and High Card.
3. Four of a Kind
Four of a Kind is the third highest hand on the list of poker sequences. A “Four of a Kind” consists of 4 cards of the same rank plus one extra card. A♥-A♣-A♠-A♦-K♣ is the highest possible ranking hand in Four of a Kind.
Q♥-Q♣-Q♠-Q♦-4♣
What is superior to Four of a Kind in Poker?
Royal Flush and Straight Flush are superior, meaning these two types of hands can beat Four of Kind in Poker.
What is inferior to Four of a Kind in Poker?
Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, and High Card are inferior to Four of a Kind.
4. Full House
Full House is the fourth strongest hand in the poker combinations. A “Full House” consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank in a 3+2 formation. When two or more players have Full House, the player with the higher ranking three cards is the winner of the hand.
5♥-5♣-5♠-K♦-K♣
What is superior to Full House in Poker?
Royal Flush, Straight Flush, and Four of a Kind are superior, meaning these three types of hands can beat Full House in Poker.
What is inferior to Full House in Poker?
Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, and High Card are inferior to Full House.
5. Flush
Flush is the fifth highest combination in the poker hands order. A “flush” consists of five cards of the same suit but not in any sequence. If two or more players have the Flush, the player with the highest value card will be the winner at the end.
2♠-6♠-9♠-J♠-K♠
What is superior to Flush in Poker?
Royal Flush, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Full House are superior to Flush. If in case, more 2 or more players have a flush, then the highest card value combination wins the poker hand.
Remember: All suits have the same value
What is inferior to Flush in Poker?
Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, and High Card are inferior to Flush.
6. Straight
Straight is the sixth strongest combination in the poker hands rank. A “straight” consists of five cards in perfect sequence, but not of the same suit. If two or more players have the Straight combination, the player with the highest value card will be the winner at the end.
4♦-5♠-6♥-7♦-8♣
What is superior to Straight in Poker?
Royal Flush, Four of a Kind, straight flush, Full House, and Flush beats a Straight.
What is inferior to Straight in Poker?
Three of a Kind, Two Pairs, One Pair, and High Card are inferier/ beats Straight in Poker.
7. Three of a Kind
Three of a Kind is the seventh strongest hand in the poker ranking. As the name suggests, “Three of a Kind” contains three cards of the same rank and two random cards. If two or more players have the triplets combination, the player with the highest value random card will win.
10♦-10♠-10♥-A♦-8♣
What is superior to Three of a Kind in Poker?
Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, and Straight are superior to Three of a Kind.
What is inferior to Three of a Kind in Poker?
Two Pairs, One Pair, and High Card are inferior to Three of a Kind.
8. Two Pair
Two Pair is eighth in the poker hands order. The “Two Pair '' contains two cards of a similar rank, another two cards of a similar rank and one extra card called the “Kicker”. If two or more players have Two Pair, the player with the highest value pair wins.
9♦-9♠-A♣-A♥-K♦
What is superior to Two Pair in Poker?
Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, and Three of a Kind are superior to Two Pair.
What is inferior to Two Pair in Poker?
One Pair and High Card are inferior to Two Pair.
9. One Pair
One Pair is one of the easiest and frequent hands of poker. “One Pair” contains two cards of the same rank and three unrelated cards. Any pair of Ace (A) is the highest possible ranking hand in One Pair. If two or more players have One Pair, the player with the highest value pair wins.
5♣-5♥-Q♦-2♠-8♣
What is superior to One Pair in Poker?
Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, 3 of a Kind, and Two Pairs are superior to One Pair.
What is inferior to One Pair in Poker?
High Card is inferior to One Pair.
10. High Card
The High Card has the lowest value in the poker hand sequence. It contains five unrelated cards and does not fall into any of the above mentioned nine poker combinations. It is best used to break the tie and determine the winner in case of similar poker hands rank.
3♣-6♥-Q♦-9♠-K♣
What is superior to High Card in Poker?
All the combinations of cards, Royal Flush, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, 3 of a Kind, Two Pairs, and One Pair, are superior hands and can beat High Card easily.
What is inferior to High Card in Poker?
No card is inferior or lower than High Card.
How To Play Poker Game?
Several steps are involved in learning how to play poker effectively. First, understand the poker hand rankings, strong to weak. Second, learn the basic rules of the poker game, i.e. the betting rounds (Preflop, Flop, Turn, and River) and the actions you can take (check, bet, call, raise, or fold). Pay attention to blinds and antes, which increase the pot size. Read your opponents by observing their betting patterns and body language. Finally, practice and learn from your experiences in the game.
Poker Hands’ Probability
The probability of getting a certain hand in Texas hold ‘em depends on many factors, including the number of players at the table, the cards dealt, and the cards still in the deck.
Strongest vs. Weakest Hand in Poker
The strongest hand in poker is the royal flush, while the weakest hand is the high card. Players aim to make the best poker winning hands, with the royal flush being the ultimate goal. However, players should also know when to fold their cards to avoid losing a large amount of money.
5 Poker Hand Rules
Here are the important 5 poker hand rules:
- The game starts with each player receiving two hole cards (private cards), which are dealt face down.
- After the initial deal, there is a round of betting, starting with the player to the left of the big blind.
- Three community cards are then dealt face up on the table, followed by another round of betting.
- A fourth community card is dealt, followed by another round of betting.
- A fifth and final community card is dealt, and there is a final round of betting before the showdown.
Poker Hands’ Absolute vs. Relative Value
The absolute value of a poker hand is its rank in the poker cards ranking chart, with the royal flush being the highest and the high card being the lowest. The relative value of a hand depends on the strength of the other players' hands at the table. For example, a one pair hand may be strong if no other player has a better hand, but it would be weak if other players have a full house or a royal flush.
Poker Hands FAQ
A straight consists of any five cards in sequence, while a straight flush is five cards of the same suit arranged in sequence. A straight flush is more valuable than a straight.
Yes, a high card can win a game of Texas hold ’em if no other player has a better hand or if other players fold. However, it is the weakest possible hand in poker, so it is not a desirable hand.
A kicker is a card that is used to determine the winner of a hand when two players have hands with the same rank. For example, if two players have a one pair hand and the pair consists of the same cards, the player with the higher kicker wins.
A full house is a hand that consists of three cards of the same rank and two cards of another rank. For example, a full house could be three jacks and two queens. It is a strong hand in poker, ranked just below four of a kind and above the flush.
The order of poker hands, from highest to lowest, is royal flush, straight flush, four of a kind, full house, flush, straight, three of a kind, two pairs, one pair and high card.
The Royal Flush is the highest card hard in poker. It is extremely rare in the game of poker.
The poker hand that wins the most often is the High Card. However, it's important to note that High Card is also the weakest hand in poker. More valuable hands like One Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, and others, have a higher chance of winning when they occur.
Yes, Four of a Kind will beat a Flush. Four of a Kind is ranked 3rd while Flush is ranked 5th.
A High Card is the worst hand a player can get in poker. A High Card is any random card which does not fall into any of the nine poker card combinations.
No hand can beat a royal flush. It is the highest and strongest hand in the poker hierarchy.
The royal flush beats the following hands: Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, A Pair and High Card.