Ace is both high and low for straight but highest pair. Two aces in the hole aka pocket aces are the best hand mathematically before the flop is dealt. Position is key in Texas Holdem as you get to see how the action happens before you make a decision. For this reason, experts are keen to play their button as often as possible. In poker, a straight is made when we hold 5 cards all of consecutive rank, for example, 56789. Aces can be both high and low for the purposes of creating a straight, but the Ace must either appear at the beginning or end of the hand's structure. Question 2: Which straight wins in poker?
Learning the Poker Hand Rankings is perhaps the most important step for a beginner. It is impossible to play well if you don't know what you hold in your hand and whether it is likely to win.
To start with you should ensure you understand the High Hand Rankings, as this is used in the most popular variants of poker such as Texas Holdem.
Some variants, such as Razz Poker have a different aim and use the Low Hand Ranking, and some other variants use both the high and the low hand rankings splitting the pot between the players with the best high hand and the best low hand.
The Low Hand Rankings are also explained below however you only need to learn and understand these if you decide to play a poker variant that uses it. If you simple want to play Texas Holdem then you can ignore the Low Hand Rankings.
High Hand Rankings
There are 10 different high hand rankings in Poker. These are detailed below with number 1 being the best poker hand possible and number 10 being the lowest ranking hand. You'll never not know the winning poker hand again!
Royal flush
This is the highest poker hand. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all in the same suit. As all suits are equal, all royal flushes are equal.
Straight flush
Five cards of the same suit in sequence – such as J 10 9 8 7. In the event that two players both hold straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is ranked higher.
An ace can be counted as low or high, so 5 4 3 2 A is a straight flush, but its top card is the five, not the ace, so it is the lowest type of straight flush. The cards cannot 'turn the corner': eg: K A 2 3 4 is not valid.
Four of a kind
Four cards of the same rank – such as four queens. The fifth card can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as 'quads'.
In the event that two players both hold four of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is ranked higher.
Full house
This consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank – for example three sevens and two tens (colloquially known as 'sevens full' or more specifically 'sevens on tens'). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher.
For example J-J-J-5-5 beats 9-9-9-A-A. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.
Flush
Five non sequential cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is ranked higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on.
For example K-J-9-3-2 beats K-J-7-6-5 because the highest and second highest cards are the same, but with the 3rd highest card the nine beats the seven.
Straight
Five cards of mixed suits in sequence – for example Q J 10 9 8. When comparing two straights, the one with the higher ranking top card is better.
Ace can count as high or low in a straight, with A-K-Q-J-10 being the highest possible straight and A-2-3-4-5 being the lowest possible straight. The cards cannot 'turn the corner' eg: K-A-2-3-4 is not valid.
Three of a kind
Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Trips or a Set. When comparing two threes of a kind the hand in which the three equal cards are of higher rank is better.
So for example 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-Q. If the three of a kind are of the equal rank then you have to compare the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand, and if those are also equal then the lower card is compared.
Two pairs
A pair is two cards of equal rank. In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs are of different ranks (otherwise you would have four of a kind), and there is an odd card to make the hand up to five cards.
When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the higher highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards – so J-J-2-2-4 beats 10-10-9-9-8 because the jacks beat the tens. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, so that for example 8-8-6-6-3 beats 8-8-5-5-K.
Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so Q-Q-5-5-8 beats Q-Q-5-5-4.
Pair
A hand with two cards of equal rank and three other cards which do not match these or each other.
When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better – so for example 6-6-4-3-2 beats 5-5-A-K-Q. If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards.
So J-J-A-9-3 beats J-J-A-8-7 because the 9 beats the 8.
High card
Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are also equal the third cards are compared, and so on. So A-J-9-5-3 beats A-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.
Study these poker hand rankings well and you will find that you get to know them off by heart in no time as you play more and more. It's important that you know the underlying rules behind the game you are playing and is the first step on your learning curve.
Low Poker Hand Ranking
There are many variants of Poker where the object is not to get the highest poker hand, but in fact the lowest poker hand. These include, but are not limited to Razz, Omaha Hi Lo poker, Stud Hi Low (Eight or Better) and others.
Remember when looking at the low hand rankings to always read your cards from the highest to lowest to avoid misreads and to get the quickest read on the strength of your hand.
The strongest low hand is the hand which has the lowest high card, if the high card is equal then it comes down to the lowest 2nd high card, if they are equal it carries on to the 3rd high card and continues, so for example 7-5-4-2-A beats 7-5-4-3-A because even though the first 3 high cards (7-5-4) are equal the 4th high card of the first hand is a 2 and is lower than the 3 in the second hand. (Don't worry it'll soon click when you read the hand rankings below!)
Note: Suits are irrelevant in low hands so it does not matter if the cards are all the same suit or not – Flushes are ignored for the purposes of low hands.
Top 10 Poker Low Hands
Rank 11 to 40 Low Poker Hands
- 7-6-3-2-A
- 7-6-4-2-A
- 7-6-4-3-A
- 7-6-4-3-2
- 7-6-5-2-A
- 7-6-5-3-A
- 7-6-5-3-2
- 7-6-5-4-A
- 7-6-5-4-2
- 7-6-5-4-3
- 8-4-3-2-A
- 8-5-3-2-A
- 8-5-4-2-A
- 8-5-4-3-2
- 8-6-3-2-A
- 8-6-4-2-A
- 8-6-4-3-A
- 8-6-4-3-2
- 8-6-5-2-A
- 8-6-5-3-A
- 8-6-5-3-2
- 8-6-5-4-A
- 8-6-5-4-2
- 8-6-5-4-3
- 8-7-3-2-A
- 8-7-4-2-A
- 8-7-4-3-2
- 8-7-5-2-A
- 8-7-5-3-A
- 8-7-5-3-2
Unless you decide to focus on learning a game that uses the low hand ranks then you are probably best to just ignore them for the moment while you get to grips with the simpler High Hand Rankings that are used in Texas Holdem, which is the variant that we recommend beginners learn to play first.
Now that you understand the objective and hands you are trying to achieve, we can now move on to learning about the actual rules and procedure involved in playing the most popular variants of poker.
In this lesson you're going to learn the first and most important step about how to play poker by learning the all important poker hand rankings.
- A standard poker hand consists of five cards.
- Each poker hand is ranked in a set order.
- The higher the rank, the less chance statistically you have of getting it.
- The higher the rank of your hand the better, because two pairs always beats one pair, and a flush always beats a straight.
- When two or more players have a hand of the same rank, then there are more ways to determine the best hand.
Hopefully all these points will make perfect sense by the end of this lesson.
Poker Hands (from Best to Worst)
Be sure to pay close attention and memorize the poker hand rankings. Let's start with the best possible hand in poker….
Royal Flush
A Royal flush consists of five cards of the same suit, in sequence from 10 through to Ace. Remember that all suits are equal in poker. If two or more players hold a royal flush (highly unlikely) then the pot is split, i.e. the players share the winnings.
Straight Flush
Five cards of the same suit, in sequence. This example shows a Jack high straight flush. If two or more players hold a straight flush then it is the highest that wins. For example, a Queen high straight flush beats a Jack high straight flush. You will notice that this is very similar to a Royal flush, and that's because a Royal flush is in fact an ace high straight flush – but it's given its very own ranking.
Four of a Kind
This hand contains four cards of the same rank/value. This example shows four 8's, plus a 5 (remember that all poker hands must have five cards). If two or more players have four of a kind, then the highest value wins (e.g. four 9's beats four 8's). If two or more players share the same four of a kind, which can happen when using community cards (more on that later) then the winner is decided by the fifth card. So a player with four 8's and a 6 would beat a player with four 8's and a 5.
Full House
A full house contains three cards of the same rank, plus a pair. In our example you can see three 10's and a pair of 7's. The value of the three matching cards determines the strength of a full house. So three Jack's with a pair of 7's would beat our example hand. If players share the same three cards, which is possible when using community cards, the strength of the pair is then taken into account. So, three 10's and a pair of 8's would beat our example hand.
Flush
Five cards of the same suit in any order. Our example shows a Queen high flush. If two or more players have a flush then the player with the highest ranked card wins. If the players share the same high card then it's determined by the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th card respectively.
Straight
This hand contains five unsuited cards in sequence. Our example shows a King high straight. In the event of a tie, the best straight is determined by the highest ranked card. A straight consisting of 8, 9, 10, J, Q, would lose to our example hand. But a straight consisting of 10, J, Q, K, A, would win. Also note that an Ace can be used as the low card for a straight of A, 2, 3, 4, 5. This would lose to a straight of 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Three of a Kind
Three cards of the same rank, and two unrelated cards. Our example shows three 4's. Three 5's would beat our example hand, three 6's would beat three 5's, and so on. If players share the same three cards, then the value of the highest unrelated card would count and if necessary, the value of the second unrelated card. So, three 4's with Jack, 8, would beat our example hand. As would three 4's and 10, 9 (because 9 is higher than 8).
Two Pair
Two cards of matching rank, with another two cards of another rank, plus an additional card. In the event of a tie, the highest pair wins. If players share the same highest pair, then the value of the next pair wins. For example, a pair of Aces, and a pair of 6's would beat our example hand, as would a pair of Kings and a pair of 7's. If two or more players share the same two pair, then the value of the fifth card counts. So, a pair of Kings, a pair of 6's, with a 4, would beat our example hand.
One Pair
A paired hand contains two cards of matching rank, plus three additional cards. The value of the pair determines who wins in the event of a tie. For example a pair of 10's beats our example hand. If players share the same pair then the best hand is determined by the value of the highest additional card. If this is the same then it goes to the second card, and if necessary the third. So, a pair of 9's with an Ace, 2, and 10, would beat our example hand. As would a pair of 9's, King, 10, and a 3.
High Card
If a hand doesn't fall into any of the above categories, then it is judged on the value of the highest ranked card among the five. In this example we have a hand which is Queen high. If players share the same highest card, then it goes to the value of the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and even 5th card if necessary. A hand of Queen, 10, 9, 5, 4, would beat our example hand.
Community Cards
As you already know, a poker hand consists of five cards. In many variations of poker, players receive or can choose from more than five cards. For example, in Texas Hold'em each player is dealt two private cards, but can also use the five community cards that are available for all the players to use. This makes a total of seven cards, but each player must choose their best five cards to make their best possible hand. Here's an example:
In the above example, the best five cards among total of seven (two private cards and five community cards) would be combined to make a flush.
Once you have the basic rules of poker understood, it's time to start building a powerful strategy. See how our friends at Red Chip Poker built the perfect course to give you the perfect playbook…
Conclusion
If you don't fully understand the poker hand rankings then please read through the list again. It's vital that you know which hand beats which. Of course, how good a poker hand is, is very dependent on which type of poker game you are playing and other factors such as the number of other players you are playing against. You will learn the true strength of a poker hand as you gain experience of playing the game.
We have created a printable poker hand rankings chart that you can use as a source of reference. Hopefully we've explained the poker hand rankings to you well enough whereby you don't need this chart, but it still might be handy for some. The chart will load as a PDF (link opens in a new window) and you'll need to have Adobe Acrobat installed on your computer to be able to view it.
Make sure that you memorize the poker hand rankings before moving onto the next lesson.
Related Lessons
Texas Holdem Ace Low Straight Poker
Texas Holdem Ace Low Straight Talk
By Tim Ryerson
Tim is from London, England and has been playing poker since the late 1990's. He is the ‘Editor-in-Chief' at Pokerology.com and is responsible for all the content on the website.
Related Lessons
Related Lessons
Texas Holdem Rules Ace Low Straight
Texas Holdem Ace Low Straight Talk
By Tim Ryerson
Tim is from London, England and has been playing poker since the late 1990's. He is the ‘Editor-in-Chief' at Pokerology.com and is responsible for all the content on the website.
Related Lessons
Related Lessons
Texas Holdem Rules Ace Low Straight
Texas Holdem Ace Low Straight Bourbon Whiskey
