What Are Poker Hands Called?

Poker is a card game that is played with a standard deck of 52 cards. The goal of poker is to have the best hand at the end of the game, which is typically a five-card hand.

Poker hands are ranked from best to worst, and the player with the best hand at the end of the game wins the pot.

The highest ranking poker hand is a royal flush, which is a straight flush that includes the ace, king, queen, jack, and ten. A straight flush is a hand that includes any five cards in sequential order, such as 5-6-7-8-9. A four-of-a-kind is a hand that includes all four cards of one rank, such as 9-9-9-9. A full house is a hand that includes three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank, such as 3-3-3-7-7. A flush is a hand that includes any five cards of the same suit, such as 5-8-10-J-Q of hearts. A straight is a hand that includes any five cards in sequential order, such as 4-5-6-7-8.

PRO TIP:When playing poker, each hand consists of five cards and is given a name based on the cards in it. The highest ranking hand is a Royal Flush, followed by a Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair and One Pair. A High Card is the lowest ranking hand.

Three-of-a-kind is a hand that includes three cards of one rank, such as 7-7–7. Two pair is a hand that includes two pairs of cards of different ranks, such as J-J and 4–4. One pair is a hand that includes two cards of the same rank, such as 10–10. High card is a hand that does not include any pairs or straights, and its value is determined by the highest card in the hand, such as Ace–5–3–2–7.

Poker hands are typically named after their strongest card, so a royal flush would be called an “ace high flush” or simply “ace flush”, while a full house would be called “three 7s full” or simply “sevens full”. In some cases where multiple players have similar hands, the pot may be split between them according to certain rules.

For example, if two players both have ace high flushes, they would each receive half of the pot.

Poker hands are an important part of the game of poker and knowing what they are called can be helpful in understanding how the game is played.