Poker Hand Rankings

A standard pack of 52 cards is used. The ace is the high card, but it can also be used as the low card depending on your hand.

Despite the many different types of Poker Game Variants, the ranking of Poker hands is always consistent. While online poker games are almost always played with a 52-card deck, the Joker is sometimes used for Draw style games and is never used when playing ‘flop games’ like Texas Hold’em. All poker hand rankings are made from the best five cards available, and suits are not ranked.

Hand Rankings

Below you see the hands you can get in poker. Number 1 is the best possible hand and number 11 is the weakest.

1. 5 of A Kind

When using a joker or wildcards then “Five of a Kind” is the best hand in online poker. However, as already mentioned that 5 of a kind is not available in flop games such as Texas Holdem. Cards are ranked with Ace as the highest card, and then face cards down to the two, or Deuce. Because of this a hand of five aces, with four aces and a joker, is the best possible hand in online poker.

2. Royal Flush

In online poker where the joker is not in play, then the best possible hand is the “Straight Flush.” This is five cards of the same suit in consecutive order and the same suit. (the Ace of clubs, King of clubs, Queen, Jack and Ten of clubs for example. (In Spades, Diamonds, Hearts or Clubs)

3. Straight Flush

A Straight Flush is all five cards in the same suit. For example, the Jack of clubs, 10 of clubs, 9, 8 and 7 of clubs for example. (In Spades, Diamonds, Hearts or Clubs)

4. Four of a Kind

After the Straight Flush is a “Four of a Kind,” which are four cards of the same number or value, with any card as a fifth. The higher ranking of the four cards the better the hand, for example, four nines beat out four eights in online poker and so on.

5. Full House

A “Full House” in online poker is three cards of the same rank combined with another pair from a different rank, (three Queens and two fours, or three fives and two Aces). Three cards of one number or face value and two cards of another number or face value. If more then one player has a full house, the full house with the highest ranking three-of-a-kind wins.

6. Flush

After a Full House comes the “Flush,” with five cards of the same suit is the best hand in online poker. The cards are not in consecutive order, and different hands are ranked in order of the highest card down. A Flush that starts with an Ace and then skips down to a 7,6,4,3 still beats a Queen, 10,8,6,3. If two flushes have the same cards then the pot is split.

7. Straight

A straight is five cards in sequence. Cards Can be in any suit and an ace can be used as high or low. As an example, a hand with 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 of any suit constitutes a straight hand. Where there are two straights in the same game by two separate players, the player with the highest card wins.

8. Three of a kind

Three cards of the same number or face value with two additional cards. These two separate cards are called a kicker. When two players in a game both have a 3-of-A-Kind, the player with the highest card rank wins. For example, three Kings beat three Jacks. If cards are of the same rank for example both players have 3 Jacks, then the highest kicker is used to determine the winning hand, then the second kicker if necessary. A 3-of-A-Kind is also referred to as a set or trips, however, in Texas Holdem, the 3-of-A-kind is only a set only when the player has pocket pairs with the 3rd card to make up the 3-of-A-Kind on the board.

9. Two Pair

A Pair is two cards of the same number with another two cards consisting of another number, with one final card called the kicker. If two players have two pairs, the hand with the highest pair wins. Where both players have the same ranking cards for pairs, the kicker card determines the winning hand.

10. One Pair

Two cards of the same number or value. The player with the highest number valued pair wins, where two players both have a Pair. Where both players have the same ranked card as a pair, the highest kicker card (3 remaining cards of different ranks) determines the winning hand.

11. High card

The hand with the highest card wins. The Ace is the highest card with two the lowest. Where both cards have the same number ranked high card, the next high card is used to determine the winning hand.