Poker Hands

Royal Flush

An ace-high straight flush such as A♥ K♥ Q♥ J♥ 10♥ is known as a royal flush, and is the highest ranking standard poker hand.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is a poker hand such as Q♠ J♠ 10?♠ 9♠ 8♠, which contains five cards in sequence, all of the same suit. As such it is both a straight and a flush.

Four of a kind

Four of a kind examplesFour of a kind, also known as quads, is a poker hand such as 9♠ 9♥ 9♦ 9♣ J♠, which contains four cards of one rank, and an unmatched card of another rank. It ranks above a full house and below a straight flush. Higher ranking quads defeat lower ranking ones. In community-card games (such as Texas Hold 'em or games with wildcards) it is possible for two or more players to obtain the same quad; in this instance, the unmatched card acts as a kicker, so 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ 7♣ J♠ defeats 7♠ 7♥ 7♦ 7♣ 10♠.

Full House

A full house, also known as a full boat, is a hand such as 3♣ 3♦ 3♥ 6♣ 6♦, which contains three matching cards of one rank, and two matching cards of another rank. It ranks below a four of a kind and above a flush. Between two full houses, the one with the higher ranking set of three wins, so 7♦ 7♣ 7♥ 4♥ 4♦ defeats 4♥ 4♦ 4♠ 7♦ 7♥.

Straight

A straight is a poker hand such as Q♦ J♣ 10♥ 9♠ 8♦, which contains five cards of sequential rank but in more than one suit. It ranks above three of a kind and below a flush. Two straights are ranked by comparing the highest card of each. Two straights with the same high card are of equal value, suits are not used to separate them.

3 of a Kind

Three of a kind, also called trips, set or a prile, is a poker hand such as 2♣ 2♦ 2♠ K♦ 6♥, which contains three cards of the same rank, plus two unmatched cards. Higher-valued three of a kind defeat lower-valued three of a kind, so Q♥ Q♠ Q♣ 7♠ 4♥ defeats J♠ J♦ J♣ A♥ K♠.

2 Pairs

A poker hand such as J♥ J♣ 4♠ 4♥ 9♦, which contains two cards of the same rank, plus two cards of another rank (that match each other but not the first pair), plus one unmatched card, is called two pair. It ranks above one pair and below three of a kind. To rank two hands both containing two pair, the higher ranking pair of each is first compared, and the higher pair wins (so 10♠ 10♥ 8♣ 8♦ 4♥ defeats 8♦ 8♠ 4♠ 4♣ 10♥). If both hands have the same "top pair", then the second pair of each is compared, such that 10♣ 10♠ 8♥ 8♣ 4♠ defeats 10♠ 10♣ 4♥ 4♣ 8♠). Finally, if both hands have the same two pairs, the kicker determines the winner.

One Pair

One pair is a poker hand such as 4♥ 4♠ K♣ 10♦ 5♥, which contains two cards of the same rank, plus three other unmatched cards. It ranks above any high card hand, but below all other poker hands. Higher ranking pairs defeat lower ranking pairs; if two hands have the same pair, the non-paired cards (the kickers) are compared in descending order to determine the winner.

High Card

A high-card or no-pair hand is a poker hand such as K♠ J♥ 8♥ 7♣ 3♦, in which no two cards have the same rank, the five cards are not in sequence, and the five cards are not all the same suit. It is also referred to as "no pair", as well as "nothing", "garbage," and various other derogatory terms. High card ranks below all other poker hands.