Poker Hand Ranks
These are the poker hand ranks that apply for Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, and many other forms of poker, listed from highest ranked hand to lowest ranked hand:
Royal Flush – 10, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, all of the same suit.
Straight Flush – Any five cards in order, all of the same suit. (i.e.: 7-8-9-10-Jack, all of Spades)
4 of a Kind – Four of the same card, i.e. 8-8-8-8. The 5th card doesn’t have any effect on the hand, unless both players have the same 4 of a kind, in which case the player with the higher 5th card (the “kicker”) wins. If 2 players each have 4 of a kind of different ranks, the higher ranking 4 of a kind wins the pot i.e.: 4 Kings beats 4 Jacks.
Full House - 3 of a kind plus a pair, as in A-A-A-5-5. This would be called “full house, Aces over Fives”. 5-5-5-A-A would be called “full house, Fives over Aces”. If two or more players have a full house, the winner is decided by who has the highest “3 of a kind” part of the hand. 9-9-9-4-4 would beat 7-7-7-K-K. The “pair” portion of the full house has no relevance, the 3 matching cards determine your rank, and 9 is obviously higher than 7, so the 9-9-9-4-4 would win the hand.
Flush – Any 5 cards of the same suit. A flush is referred to by its’ highest card. Q-9-6-8-3 of hearts would be called a “flush, Queen high.“ In the case of two or more players having a flush, the flush with the highest ranking card wins.
Straight – 5 cards in order, any suit. If two players each have a straight, the straight with the highest ranking top card wins. 10 through to Ace is the highest straight possible.
3 of a Kind – 3 of any matching card. The 4th and 5th cards are only relevant if two players have the same 3 of a kind, in which case the player with the highest “kicker” wins. If multiple players have 3 of a kind, but each of different ranks, the highest ranked 3 of a kind wins i.e.: A-A-A beats 5-5-5.
2 Pair – Any 2 pair, with the rank determined by the top pair. Aces and 2’s beats Kings and Queens. If two players hold the same 2 pair then the highest 5th card, the “kicker”, determines the winner.
1 Pair - One pair of any ranked card. If two players have the same pair (two players each hold a pair of Kings for example), the winner is determined by who holds the highest kicker (or kickers if they each have the same 1st kicker). A pair of Aces with a 9 kicker beats a pair of Aces with a 7 kicker.
High Card – If no-one has any of the above hands, the player with the highest ranking card wins. If that creates a tie, the hand is decided by the 2nd highest ranking card, etc.
