Hand Rankings

Poker hands ranked from weakest to strongest

1. 1.High Card — No matching cards. Best single card wins. Example: A♠ J♦ 7♣ 4♥ 2♦
2. 2.Pair — Two cards of the same rank. Example: K♠ K♦ 9♣ 5♥ 2♦
3. 3.Two Pair — Two different pairs. Example: Q♠ Q♦ 8♣ 8♥ A♦
4. 4.Three of a Kind — Three cards of the same rank. Example: J♠ J♦ J♣ 7♥ 3♦
5. 5.Straight — Five consecutive ranks. Example: 5♠ 6♦ 7♣ 8♥ 9♦
6. 6.Flush — Five cards of the same suit. Example: A♠ J♠ 8♠ 5♠ 2♠
7. 7.Full House — Three of a kind plus a pair. Example: 10♠ 10♦ 10♣ 6♥ 6♦
8. 8.Four of a Kind — Four cards of the same rank. Example: 7♠ 7♦ 7♣ 7♥ K♦
9. 9.Straight Flush — Five consecutive cards of the same suit. Example: 5♠ 6♠ 7♠ 8♠ 9♠
10. 10.Royal Flush — A-K-Q-J-10 of the same suit. Example: A♠ K♠ Q♠ J♠ 10♠

A few rules that trip up beginners

• ◆Flush beats a straight — many new players forget this. If you have five cards of the same suit, that beats five consecutive cards.

• ◆Full house beats both — three of a kind plus a pair is stronger than either a flush or a straight.

• ◆Kickers break ties — if two players both have a pair of Kings, the next highest card (the "kicker") decides the winner. Example: K♠ K♦ A♣ beats K♥ K♣ Q♠ because the Ace kicker outranks the Queen kicker.

Three spades on board plus your two spade hole cards — five spades total. You have a flush!