Although this site is mostly dedicated to the poker game known as Texas Hold ‘em, the following hand ranks apply to almost all other poker games as well. At the top of this article I have simply listed the best poker hands. Although it is easy to rank poker hands in this way, it does not provide any type of information about how each hand fairs against one another when the players are in a betting battle.
- Royal Flush
- Straight Flush
- Four of a Kind
- Full House
- Flush
- Straight
- Three of a Kind
- Two Pairs
- One Pair
- High Card
This order of poker hands doesn’t help much if you’re not very familiar with the game. I’ll break down each of the above poker hands and provide the odds of getting that hand from 7 cards in a 52 card deck. Note that the odds given here are simple probabilities and do not take into consideration factors such as the number of players, betting position, etc.
Royal Flush
Odds: 1 in 30,941 hands played. A royal flush is a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace all of the same suit. The particular suit does not matter. If two or more royal flushes are up against one another, there will be a split pot, because this hand is unbeatable.
Straight Flush
Odds: 1 in 3,591 hands played. A straight flush in any five cards, in sequence, that all share the same suit. The particular suit does not matter. An example straight flush would be 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 – all clubs. As you can see, the royal flush is also a straight flush, it just happens to be the best possible straight flush. One straight flush beats another if its highest face value card is higher than that of its opponent. If two or more players have the same highest face value card (and therefore a different suit) then the pot is split between them.
Four of a Kind
Odds: 1 in 595 hands played. Four of a kind is having four cards that all have the same face value. An example would be the Queen of hearts, Queen of diamonds, Queen of spades and Queen of clubs. One four of a kind beats another if the face value of the four of a kind is higher than that of its opponent.
Full House
Odds: 1 in 39 hands played. A full house is having three cards of identical face value (Three of a Kind) as well as two more cards of identical face value (One Pair). An example would be having three eights and two tens. Of course, the suit does not matter. One full house beats another if the face value of the three identical cards is higher than its opponent. In this case, the values of the pair cards are irrelevant.
Flush
Odds: 1 in 33 hands played. A flush is having 5 cards that all share the same suit. The face value of the cards is irrelevant unless two or more players each hold a flush. In this case, the player with the highest face value card wins the hand. If both players share the highest value face card then the pot is split.
Straight
Odds: 1 in 21 hands played. A straight is any five cards in sequence, regardless of suit. An example would be having the 7 of clubs, the 8 of diamonds, the 9 of hearts, the 10 of diamonds and the Jack of spades. One straight beats another if its highest face value card is higher than that of its opponent.
Three of a Kind
Odds: 1 in 21 hands played. Three of a kind is having three cards that all have the same face value. An example would be the 10 of hearts, 10 of diamonds and 10 of clubs. One three of a kind beats another if the face value of the three of a kind is higher than that of its opponent.
Two Pairs
Odds: 1 in 4 hands played. Two pairs is having two cards of identical face value (One Pair) as well as two more cards of identical face value (another One Pair). An example would be having two sevens and two Kings. Of course, the suit does not matter. One set of two pairs beats another if the face value of the highest pair is higher than its opponents highest pair. In this case, the values of the lowest paired cards are irrelevant. If two opponents have the same highest face value pair, then the highest value of the lower pairs wins. In the rare event that two players have the same two pairs, then the fifth card in each players’ hand is evaluated. This card is known as the “kicker.” The person with the highest kicker would then win. If two players hold the same two pairs and have the same face value kicker then they would split the pot.
One Pair
Odds: 1 in 2 hands played. A pair is having two cards of identical face value. If two or more people have a pair, then the hand holding the highest face value pair wins. If the two people holding the highest face value pairs have identical pairs, then the highest valued kicker is evaluated.
High Card
Odds: 1 in 6 hands. This means that you do not have any of the above hands. As you can see, it is harder to not get any hand at all than it is to get one or two pairs. Here, your high card is your kicker and the pot winner is evaluated based upon the highest kicker holder.
