Know When To Hold 'Em

Hands

As established, the player with the best hand wins the pot. It is important to know the poker hands and how they rank amongst each other, so you can make better decisions in the game of poker. Each card has a "suit" and a "rank." The suit is the symbol on the card (heart, diamond, club, spade). The rank is the number or letter on the card. A flush is when five cards are all the same suit. A straight is when 5 cards can be displayed in a sequence. The Ace is the most valuable card followed by the King, Queen, Jack, and 10 all the way down to the 2. There are 10 possible poker hands.

  1. Royal Flush - A, K, Q, J, 10, cards all the same suit
  2. Straight Flush - Five cards in a sequence, all in the same suit
  3. Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank
  4. Full House - Three of a kind with a pair
  5. Flush - Five cards in the same suit
  6. Straight - Five cards in sequence
  7. Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank
  8. Two Pair - Two different pairs
  9. Pair - Two cards of the same rank
  10. High Card - When you haven't made any of the hands above, the highest card plays
Hand Distinct Hands Probability Odds Against
Royal Flush 4 0.000154% 649,739 : 1
Straight Flush 36 0.00139% 72,192 : 1
Four of a Kind 624 0.02401% 4,164 : 1
Full House 3,744 0.1441% 693 : 1
Flush 5,108 0.1965% 508 : 1
Straight 10,200 0.3925% 254 : 1
Three of a Kind 54,912 2.1128% 46 : 1
Two Pair 123,552 4.7539% 20 : 1
Pair 1,098,240 42.2569% 1.37 : 1
High Card 1,302,540 50.1177% 1 : 1