What hand beats what in poker.
If you want to know what beats what in the poker hand ranking system the list below has all poker hands which are ranked from best to worst.
Royal Flush – A royal flush is a straight from an ace to a ten when all five cards are the same suit. In poker all card suits have the same rank.
Straight Flush – A straight flush is where all five cards in your hand run consecutively and are the same suit. If two players have a straight flush the hand with the highest card value wins i.e. 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 beats 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Four of a Kind – is when you have four cards of the same rank. The player with the highest value set of four cards wins the pot i.e. four 8’s beats four 6’s Aces are the highest.
Full House – The full house hand is when you have three cards of the same value plus two cards of another value. Where two players have a full house the player with the highest value set of three wins the pot. i.e. A, A, A, 2, 2 beats 10, 10, 10, K, K.
Flush – The flush hand is where all of your five cards are the same suit but the card values are not consecutive. The highest ranking card of each players hand determines the winner if two players show a flush. If both hands have the same high card the next highest value cards are compared and so on until a difference is found. If the two flush hands contain the same five values of cards they are considered tied and the pot is split equally between the two players. i.e. 3, 4, 7, 10, K beats 3, 4, 6, 10, K. The suit of the hand is not a deciding factor.
Straight – The straight hand is where you hold any five consecutive cards which are different suits. In the straight, aces can count as either a high card or a low card but may not be used as a ‘wrap around’ card e.g. Q, K, A,2,3 (this would be an ace high hand). If two players show a straight the winner is the player with the highest value card in their hand i.e. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 beats A, 2, 3, 4, 5
Three of a Kind – The three of a kind hand is where you have three cards of the same ranking value plus two other cards. The player with the highest value set of three cards will win the pot. i.e. 10, 10, 10, 4, Q beats 9, 9, 9, A, K. In poker games where there are wild or community cards and two players have three of a kind, the player with the highest value kicker card will win the pot.
Two Pairs – The two pairs hand is where you have two cards of the same value plus another two cards of a different ranking value and one other unmatched card. If two players show the two pairs hand the winner is the player with the highest value pair i.e. K, K, 2, 2, 8 beats Q, Q, J, J, A. If both players show the same to pairs the player with the highest ranked value kicker will win the pot. If both players have the same hand then the pot is split.
One Pair – A pair is when you have two cards of the same rank value plus three other unmatched cards. If two players show a pair the player with the highest value pair wins the pot. When both players show the same pair the player with the highest value kicker will win the pot i.e. 7, 7, 8, J, 9 beats 7, 7, 6, J, 9.
High Card – The high card poker hand is when you have failed to make any other hand and the card with the highest ranking value is the hand you play. It is the weakest hand in poker. If both players show a high card hand the pot is won by the player with the highest value ranking card. i.e. K, 8, 7, 6, 5 beats K, 8, 7, 6, 4.
