Poker Hand Rankings

High Hand Rankings are used in the most popular variants of poker such as Texas Holdem.

The Razz Poker variant uses the Low Hand Rankings, and some other variants use both the high and the low hand rankings splitting the pot between the players with the best high hand and the best low hand.

High Hand Rankings

There are 10 different high hand rankings in Poker.

Royal Flush

This is the highest poker hand. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack and ten, all in the same suit. As all suits are equal, all royal flushes are equal.

Straight flush

Five cards of the same suit in sequence – such as J 10 9 8 7. In the event that two players both hold straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is ranked higher.

An ace can be counted as low or high, so 5 4 3 2 A is a straight flush, but its top card is the five, not the ace, so it is the lowest type of straight flush. The cards cannot “turn the corner”: eg: K A 2 3 4 is not valid.

Four of a kind

Four cards of the same rank – such as four queens. The fifth card can be anything. This combination is sometimes known as “quads”.

In the event that two players both hold four of a kind, the one with the higher set of four cards is ranked higher.

Full house

This consists of three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank – for example three eights and two jacks (colloquially known as “eights full” or more specifically “eights on jacks”). When comparing full houses, the rank of the three cards determines which is higher.

For example Q-Q-Q-4-4 beats 8-8-8-K-K. If the threes of a kind were equal, the rank of the pairs would decide.

Flush

Five non sequential cards of the same suit. When comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is ranked higher. If the highest cards are equal then the second highest card is compared; if those are equal too, then the third highest card, and so on.

For example A-Q-8-4-2 beats A-Q-6-5-4 because the highest and second highest cards are the same, but with the 3rd highest card the eight beats the six.

Straight

Five cards of mixed suits in sequence – for example Q J 10 9 8. When comparing two straights, the one with the higher ranking top card is better.

Ace can count as high or low in a straight, with A-K-Q-J-10 being the highest possible straight and A-2-3-4-5 being the lowest possible straight. The cards cannot “turn the corner” eg: K-A-2-3-4 is not valid.

Three of a kind

Three cards of the same rank plus two other cards. This combination is also known as Trips or a Set. When comparing two threes of a kind the hand in which the three equal cards are of higher rank is better.

So for example 5-5-5-3-2 beats 4-4-4-K-Q. If the three of a kind are of the equal rank then you have to compare the higher of the two remaining cards in each hand, and if those are also equal then the lower card is compared.

Two pairs

A pair is two cards of equal rank. In a hand with two pairs, the two pairs are of different ranks (otherwise you would have four of a kind), and there is an odd card to make the hand up to five cards.

When comparing hands with two pairs, the hand with the higher highest pair wins, irrespective of the rank of the other cards – so Q-Q-3-3-5 beats J-J-8-8-6 because the queens beat the jacks. If the higher pairs are equal, the lower pairs are compared, so that for example 9-9-5-5-3 beats 9-9-4-4-K.

Finally, if both pairs are the same, the odd cards are compared, so J-J-6-6-8 beats J-J-6-6-4.

Pair

A hand with two cards of equal rank and three other cards which do not match these or each other.

When comparing two such hands, the hand with the higher pair is better – so for example 8-8-4-3-2 beats 6-6-A-K-Q. If the pairs are equal, compare the highest ranking odd cards from each hand; if these are equal compare the second highest odd card, and if these are equal too compare the lowest odd cards.

So Q-Q-A-9-2 beats Q-Q-A-7-6 because the 9 beats the 7.

High card

Five cards which do not form any of the combinations listed above. When comparing two such hands, the one with the better highest card wins. If the highest cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are also equal the third cards are compared, and so on. So K-J-8-4-3 beats K-10-9-6-4 because the jack beats the ten.

Low Hand Rankings

There are many variants of Poker where the object is to get the lowest poker hand, rather than the highest poker hand. Razz, Omaha Hi Lo poker, Stud Hi Low (Eight or Better) are some of these variants.

The strongest low hand is the hand which has the lowest high card, if the high card is equal then it comes down to the lowest 2nd high card, if they are equal it carries on to the 3rd high card and continues, so for example 9-6-4-3-A beats 9-6-4-2-A because even though the first 3 high cards (9-6-4) are equal the 4th high card of the first hand is a 3 and is lower than the 2 in the second hand.

Note: Suits are irrelevant in low hands so it does not matter if the cards are all the same suit or not – Flushes are ignored for the purposes of low hands.