Poker Rules - Hand Rankings (Poker Hands)

A poker hand consists of 5 playing cards. Poker hands fall into one of several categories, such as flush, straight, or two pair. The player whose hand is in the higher category wins. If two players have hands in the same category, the tie is broken usually by who has higher cards. Below is a table of the hand categories, highest to lowest.

Poker Hand Ranking - Listed from Highest to Lowest

	Royal Flush The five highest cards, the 10 through the Ace, all five of the same suit. A royal flush is actually an ace-high straight flush. Which suit it is doesn't matter in poker. Two people with royal flushes would tie.
	Straight Flush Any five cards of the same suit in consecutive numerical order. Our example shows a five-high straight flush.
	Four of a Kind Four cards of the same denomination. Our example shows four jacks with a deuce kicker.
	Full House Any three cards of the same denomination, plus any pair of a different denomination. Ties are broken first by the three of a kind, then the pair. Our example shows sevens full of threes.
	Flush Any five non-consecutive cards of the same suit. Our example shows a queen-high diamond flush.
	Straight Any five consecutive cards of mixed suits. Ace can be high or low. Our example shows a six-to-ten straight.
	Three of a Kind Three cards of the same denomination. Our example displays three of a kind, fours.
	Two Pair Any two cards of the same denomination, plus any other two cards of the same denomination. If both hands have the same high pair, the second pair wins. If both pairs tie, the high card wins. Our example shows two pair, eights and fives.
	Pair Any two cards of the same denomination. Our example displays a pair of nines. In a tie, the high card wins.
	High Card If no other hand is achieved, the highest card held wins. In our example, the king of hearts is the high card.

www.FreePokerTraining.com encourages you to gamble responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call 800.522.4700 or go to: www.ncpgambling.org U.S. Citizens Please Note: The information contained at this site is for news and entertainment purposes only. Any use of this information in violation of any federal, state, or local laws is prohibited.