Poker is a game of chance and skill. The object of the game is to make the best five-card hand possible.
The rank of the cards, from highest to Lowest, is Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten. The suits of the cards, from highest to Lowest, are Hearts Clubs Spades, and Diamonds.
The best poker hand is a straight flush, which is five cards in sequential order, all of the same suit. The second-best poker hand is a four-of-a-kind, which is four cards of the same rank. The third-best poker hand is a full house, which is three cards of the same rank plus two cards of another rank. The fourth-best poker hand is a flush, which is five cards of the same suit.
The fifth-best poker hand is a straight, which is five cards in sequential order. The sixth-best poker hand is a three-of-a-kind, which is three cards of the same rank. The seventh-best poker hand is two pair, which are two sets of two cards of the same rank. The eighth-best poker hand is a pair, which are two cards of the same rank.
A Straight Flush: This hand contains five cards in sequence all sharing the same suit. It’s not easy to come by – in fact it’s the second rarest hand in poker after the Royal Flush – but it has its place at the top of our list because when you do make one it’s an incredibly strong hand that can often result in big wins.
Four Of A Kind: Four Of A Kind occurs when you hold all four cards of one rank and any other card – for example four Jacks and a Five. It’s not unbeatable but it’s still a very powerful hand that can give you a good chance to win some big pots.
Full House: A Full House contains three matching card values with another two matching values – for example three Fives and two Eights (also known as “a boat”). It’s not as strong as a Four Of A Kind but it’s still pretty solid and if you do make one then you’re in with a good chance to win some money from your opponents.
Flush: A Flush contains any five non-consecutivecards sharingthe same suit – for example Q♣ J♣ 9♣ 7♣ 4♣(also known as “a queen high flush” or “aces high flush”). It’s not as strong as some other hands on this list but if you can make one then you’re still doing well and have a good chance to take down some pots.
Straight: A Straight contains five consecutivecards (for example 4♥ 5♥ 6♥ 7♦ 8♦) but they can be any suits so long as they are in order – this makes it weaker than a Straight Flush as there are more ways to make one. Nevertheless it’s still a good hand that can often result in some nice wins at the table.
Three Of A Kind: Three Of A Kind occurs when you hold three matching card values with any other two values – for example three Jacks or three Sevens (also known as “a set”). It’s not the strongest hand around but if you do make one then there’s still a chance that you could go on to win some money from your opponents depending on what else is going on in the game at the time.
Two Pair: Two Pair happens when you have two sets of two matching values (for example two Tens and two Queens) with any other single value (known as “kicker”). It’s not usually going to be enough to win you big pots but it can be useful if used correctly and combined with other factors such as position at the table or betting patterns from your opponents.
Pair: A Pair contains two matching values with any other three unrelated values (known as “kickers”). For example J♦ J♠ 9♥ 5♦ 2♣ would be considered a pair of Jacks with an Ace kicker (the highest kicker).
Pairs are often seen as weak hands in poker but if played correctly they can still be useful and lead to some nice wins.
