Poker Hands Ranked and Explained for Beginners

No matter what online version of the game you play, you’re likely to find the same poker hand rankings used. How are they used to help decide which player wins? By understanding the way poker hands are ranked, you can get a better feel for how to approach the games you play. 

The best hands in poker are the top combinations of cards, which have been ranked by strength. Knowing the list of the strongest hands lets you immediately understand how good any hand you hold really is when you play poker games in our casino.

Poker Card Rankings Explained 

To fully understand poker rankings, we need to start by looking at the value of the cards used. Each card has a specific value in poker, allowing us to rank them in order.

• The number cards from 2 to 10 are ranked according to their value, from lowest to highest.
• The face cards are ranked in ascending order, from Jack to Queen and then King.
• The ace holds a unique place in the poker hand rankings, since it can be the highest-ranking card in some hands and the lowest-ranking in others.   

When looking at card ranking in poker, we also need to take into account the different suits that are used. These are the classic spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs that are used in every card game. The key point here is that the suits are all considered to be equal, so it doesn’t matter which suits are used.

How have these rankings been calculated? If you’ve ever wondered why some hands are ranked higher than others, it’s based on the possibility of obtaining that hand. The rarer that combination of cards is, the more highly it is valued. 

Poker games have traditionally been decided by comparing the hands of all the players. With some online or live casino versions, you only have to get a stronger hand than the dealer to win. With video poker games, your hand is assessed against a list of winning combinations, with each having a payout listed next to it.

Poker Hand Ranked

Here are the potential winning hands in poker order, ranging from the weakest to the strongest. As you’ll see, the rarer the combination, the more difficult it is to obtain, making it more valuable. 

High Card

This is where you don’t have any of the combinations that are listed below, so the hand can only be ranked according to the most valuable card in it. You’re extremely unlikely to win with a hand with a weak hand like this.

One Pair

This hand has two cards of the same type, plus three others that are unrelated. It’s a relatively weak hand that isn’t going to win too many times, as it’s easy to achieve a single pair.

Two Pairs

We’re now looking at two sets of matching cards, plus a fifth card that has no connection to the pairs. This is now a less common type of hand, meaning that the chances of winning with it are higher than with the other combinations already mentioned. 

Three of a Kind

In this hand, you have three cards with the same number or rank, together with two others that don’t fit.

Straight

A straight is where you have five cards that run consecutively but aren’t of the same suit.

Flush

These are five cards of the same suit, but that don’t complete a consecutive sequence. They can include any combination of numbers or face cards. 

Full House

This combination includes three cards of the same value or rank, together with two matching cards with a different rank.  

Four of a Kind

Four of the cards in this hand are of the same rank, with just one that doesn’t fit. This is one of the stronger poker hands since it’s extremely difficult to get a hand with four cards like this. 

Straight Flush

The second-best combination in the order of poker hands has five consecutive cards from the same suit. It doesn’t matter which suit this is and what value the cards are, provided that they run in a perfect sequence. There’s only one hand that can beat it, which is what we will look at next. 

Royal Flush

This is the most difficult hand to achieve in poker, making it the most valuable. A royal flush contains 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace all of the same suit. It can’t be beaten by any other combination of cards.

FAQs About Poker Hand Rankings

Do I Need to Understand the Poker Hands Order Before I Play Online?

There is no need to fully research the way that poker hands are ranked if you don’t want to. However, having at least a basic understanding of the order used will help you to follow the flow of the game and make decisions when you have to. Online games automatically calculate the winning hand for you.

Can I Win with Any of the Best Poker Hands?

Technically, you can win with any of these hands, depending on what the other players or dealer has in their hand. Yet, it’s clear that some hands are far weaker than others. The exception comes in video poker-style games, where payouts are simply based on the strength of your hand, so you know exactly how much each is worth. 

Why Is a Royal Flush So Highly Rated in Poker?

This combination of cards is extremely rare, meaning that many players will never see it dealt in a game. The odds of being dealt this hand are given as approximately 649,739 to 1, so it makes sense that it’s seen as being the most powerful hand.

What Happens When Two Players Have the Same Winning Poker Hands?

The outcome in this case depends on the exact rules being used. The kicker is often used, which means that the winner is the player with the highest-valued remaining card that isn’t included in the winning combination.