Poker Hands

Poker Hand Rankings

To understand the hands in Poker and construct a good poker strategy for your game, it is necessary for the new players to first know the Poker rankings of the hands. So here is the Poker hand ranking list in ascending order to help you out with the Poker hierarchy of the hands.

1. High Card: When the player has the highest ranking card(s) in the hand.
2. One Pair: When the player has two cards of the same rank in the hand.
3. Two pair: When the player has two pairs of the same rank in the hand.
4. Three of a kind: When the player has three cards of the same rank in the hand.
5. Straight: When the player has 5 cards in a straight numerical order in the hand.
6. Flush: When the player has 5 cards with the same suit in the hand.
7. Full House: When the player has a Three of a kind and One Pair in the same hand.
8. Four of a Kind: When the player has four cards of the same rank in the hand.
9. Straight Flush: It is the second highest hand ranking in the game of Poker which consists of five consecutive numerical number cards of the same suit.
10. Royal Flush: It is the highest hand ranking of Poker which consists of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and 10 of the same suits.

Poker Sequence: Poker Hand Chart to win at Poker Tables

Examples of Hands in the Poker Sequence

Now that you are aware of the Poker hand chart, let’s see examples to get a better and clearer understanding of the hands.

1. High card:

Suppose you have an Ace-King offsuit (K ♥ & A ♣️) as your hole cards and the community cards open up as such:

(8 ♦️ 3 ♥ J ♣️ 9 ♥ 4 ♣️)

Now the A ♣️ carries the value of being the highest card, so the best possible high card ranking for the player here will be Ace of Clubs, King of Hearts, Jack of Clubs, 9 of Hearts, and 8 of Diamonds (A♣️ K♥ J ♣️ 9 ♥ 8 ♦️).

2. One Pair:

Suppose you have Jack of Clubs and 9 of Hearts (J ♣️ & 9 ♥) as your hole cards, and the cards on the board are:

(8 ♦️ Q ♣️ 5 ♣️ 9 ♦️ 3 ♣)

So, here the two cards of similar ranks are (9 ♥ & 9 ♦️). Now, the best possible hand ranking for the player will be one pair of 9s, Queen of Clubs, Jack of Clubs, and 8 of clubs (9 ♥ 9 ♦️ Q ♣️ J ♣️ 8 ♣️).

3. Two Pair:

Suppose you have an Ace-Jack suited (A ♣️ &  J ♣️ ) as your hole cards and the community cards are:

(4 ♠️ J ♠️ 6 ♦️ 2 ♥ 6 ♥)

Here, the two pairs of similar ranks are (J ♣️ J ♠️ 6 ♦️ 6 ♥). Now, the best possible hand ranking for the player will be Two Pair of Jacks and 6s and Ace of Clubs (J ♣️ J ♠️ 6 ♦️ 6 ♥ A ♣️).

4. Three of a Kind:

Suppose you have King of Spades and 8 of Clubs (K ♠️ 8 ♣️ ) as your hole cards, and the community cards are:

(9 ♥ K ♦️ A ♦️ K ♣️  7 ♥)

Here, the three cards of similar ranks are K ♠️ K ♦️ K ♣️, now the best possible hand ranking for the player will be trips of Kings, Ace of Diamonds, and 9 of Hearts (K ♠️ K ♦️ K ♣️ A ♦️ 9 ♥) which is called a Three of a Kind.

5. Straight:

Suppose you have Nine of Hearts and 7 of Clubs (9 ♥ 7 ♣️ ) as your hole cards, and the board opens up to:

(6 ♥ K ♦️ 5 ♦️ J ♣️ 8 ♥) 

Here, the straight consecutive number of cards are 9 ♥ 8 ♥ 7 ♣️ 6 ♥️ 5 ♦️, now the best possible hand ranking for the player will be the same, i.e., a Straight.

6. Flush:

Suppose you have Ace and 10 suited (A ♣️ 10 ♣️ ) as your hole cards, and the community cards are:

(J ♥ 4 ♣️ 9 ♦️ J ♣️ 2 ♣️)

Here, the cards which have the same suit are A ♣️ J ♣️ 10 ♣️ 4 ♣️ 2 ♣️, now the best possible hand ranking for the player will be the same, i.e., a Flush.

7. Full House:

Suppose you have 4 of Diamonds and Jack of Clubs (4 ♦️ &  J ♣️ ) as your hole cards, and the board happens to be like:

(4 ♥ J ♥  4 ♠️  2 ♣️ 6 ♦️)

Here, the three cards of similar rank are 4 ♦️ 4 ♥ 4 ♠️, and the other two cards of similar ranks are J ♣️ J ♥. Now, the best possible hand ranking for the player will be trips of 4s and one pair of Jacks (4 ♦️ 4 ♥ 4 ♠️ J ♣️ J ♥), which is also called a Full House.

8. Four of a Kind:

Suppose you have 10 of Hearts and 3 of Diamonds (10 ♥ 3 ♦️ ) as your hole cards, and the community cards are:

(10 ♠️ J ♦️ 10 ♦️ 4 ♠ 10 ♣️)

Here, the four cards of the same rank are 10 ♥ 10 ♠️ 10 ♦️ 10 ♣️, now the best possible hand ranking for the player will be 10 of Hearts, 10 of Spades, 10 of Diamonds, 10 of Clubs, and Jack of Diamonds (10 ♥ 10 ♠️ 10 ♦️ 10 ♣️ J ♦) which is called a Four of a Kind.

9. Straight Flush:

Suppose you have Queen and 8 suited (Q ♠️ &  8 ♠️) as your hole cards, and the cards on the board are as follows:

(K ♦️ 9 ♠️ J ♠ 4 ♥ 10 ♠)

Here, the best possible hand ranking consists of the consecutive ranks of the same suit, i.e. Queen of Spades, Jack of Spades, 10 of Spades, 9 of Spades, and 8 of Spades (Q ♠️ J ♠ 10 ♠ 9 ♠️ 8 ♠️), also called a Straight Flush.

10. Royal Flush: 

Suppose you have Ace and 10 suited (A ♥ 10 ♥) as your hole cards, and the board opens up to:

(3 ♠ K ♥ J ♥ 7 ♣️ Q ♥)

Now, the best possible hand ranking for the player will be Ace of Hearts, King of Hearts, Queen of Hearts, Jack of Hearts, and 10 of Hearts (A ♥ K ♥ Q ♥ J ♥ 10 ♥), thus, making the Royal Flush.

Best Hole Cards in Poker

In Poker, it is a must to understand the strength of your hole cards at the pre-flop stage and use them accordingly as the game proceeds. If you get some of the best Poker hands in real money Poker, then it will surely make your day. Play your best game in online cash games of Poker with these hole cards:

1. Pocket Aces: Pocket Aces carry a high value in the game of Poker. They are also known as Bullets, and rightly, they can make your wallet loaded if you play the hand smartly.
2. Pocket Kings: This pre-flop hand consists of two Kings and is supposed to be the second best pre-flop hand after Pocket Aces. They are also called Cowboys.
3. Pocket Queens: After the Pocket Kings, the Pocket Queens are the best hole cards to have in the game of Poker. It consists of two Queens and are also known as the Ladies.
4. Ace-King Suited: Another great set of hole cards, they are also regarded as one of the best non-pair hands in Poker. In the Poker dictionary, they are also called the Big Slick.
5. Pocket Jacks: This is also a very useful pre-flop hand to play with in the game of Poker. Also called the Hooks, it is up to the player to use them wisely to get some fishes or to be fed by the sharks.

Poker Hand and Rankings Related FAQs