Hand Ranking
Straight Flush:
Any five cards of the same suit, in order. E.G. 5,6,7,8,9, all hearts. If there are two straight flushes, then the highest one wins. If, by some miracle, two people have the same straight flush but in different suits (and I have been playing for 30 years, and it hasn’t happened to me yet), then the hand is a tie. The best straight flush, A,K,Q,J,T, is called a royal flush.
Four of a kind:
Any four cards of the same rank. The best is four aces, followed by four kings, then four queens. If two or more players both have the same four of a kind (you will see later how this can be possible), then, because poker is a five-card game, the rank of the fifth card, or kicker, counts. So, four threes with an ace would beat four fours with a two.
Full house:
Three of one rank and two of another, properly known as a full house. For example, three kings and two fives, would be a full house, kings over fives. If there are two or more full houses against each other, then the rank of the set of three takes precedence over the rank of the pair. So, three kings and two fives would beat three fours and two aces. If both players have the same set of three, then the rank of the pair counts. So, three kings and two sixes would beat three kings and two fives. If both players have the same set of three and the same set of two, then the hand is a tie.
Flush:
Any five cards of the same suit, not in sequence (because then it would be a straight flush and would be a considerably better hand), is a flush. If there are two flushes against each other, then the highest card of the five counts. So, A,T,9,8,6 of hearts would beat K,Q,J,9,8 of clubs. Unlike in bridge, suits have no ranking in poker. If the top card is the same, then the highest second card counts (so, K,Q,8,5,2 of a suit would beat K,J,T,9,7 of another suit, because the queen beats the jack). This process continues until the bottom card is reached. If you were unlucky enough to have K,Q,J,8,2 of spades against K,Q,J,8,3 of clubs, then you would lose, because your opponent’s three of clubs is higher than your two of spades, and all of your other cards are the same. You would, however, have every right to moan about this bad beat bitterly for the rest of the evening, and possibly for half the next evening as well.
Straight:
Any five cards in sequence, not of the same suit. Aces can start from the bottom as well as the top (so, A,2,3,4,5 is the lowest possible straight, while A,K,Q,J,T is the highest possible straight). Seasoned players of brag will note that, whereas in brag a straight beats a flush, in poker it is the other way round. This is because when you have three cards it is less likely that you will get three in sequence than three of the same suit, while with five cards, it is harder to get five of the same suit.
Three of a kind:
also known as trips or a set. If two players have the same three of a kind, then the highest kicker of the other two cards counts. If this card is the same in both hands, then the final card of the five you use to make up your hand, is the deciding card. E.g. KKK95 would beat KKK86. Also, QQQ83 would beat QQQ82.
Two pair:
A hand such as KK552. This would be known as Kings and fives (as opposed to the full house above, which is known as Kings over fives). In ranking, the higher of the two pairs counts, so AA335 would beat KKQQT. If the higher ranking pair is the same, then the lower pair counts, so KKJJ6 would beat KK997. If both people have the same two pairs, then the higher of the kickers counts. So, KK449 would beat KK446.
One Pair:
A hand with one pair and no other matching cards. If two players have the same pair, then the highest kicker counts (QQA65 beats QQKT8). If the highest kicker is tied, then the second kicker counts, and if this is tied also, then the third kicker counts. If all five hands are exactly equal, then the hand is tied.
No Pair:
A hand where nothing matches with anything else, such as AT864, which are not all of the same suit. Such hands are usually referred to as “Ace-high” (or whatever rank is the highest of your five cards). Ace high would beat king high, while if two players both have Ace high, then the second highest card counts. So Ace-King high, beats Ace-Queen high.
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