Poker Hand Ranking

There are various ways to play online poker, but every poker hand consists of five cards regardless of the variant you’re playing. Players use their hands to create the best possible set of five cards to beat their competition and win the pot.

What Is a Poker Hand?

A poker hand is a collection of cards dealt to a player in poker. Hands are determined at the final stage of each betting round when all players have contributed the same amount of money to the pot and are ready to reveal their cards. Be sure to take a look at our poker hand calculator too, to learn more about this.

What Are the Common Poker Terms?

If you are new to the poker world, you may be unfamiliar with some of the terminology frequently used by poker players and those who enjoy watching poker events or reading about them. Here are some of the standard terms you may have heard and what they mean. These will help you feel more knowledgeable when it comes to putting your money where your mouth is when using a poker app or site to play online.

Ante

Ante is a small amount of money or chips put into the pot for each hand to make the game more interesting. Antes are used in poker games like Texas Hold ’em, Omaha, and Stud to get the action going.

In Texas Hold ’em, Omaha and Stud, players must post blinds before receiving cards. In other poker games, they can ante up instead. The ante is usually a small amount of money at lower-stakes tables. At higher stakes tables, players will use chips instead of cash. Many online poker games use blinds to increase the action in much the same way as an ante.

Blinds

Blinds is a poker term that refers to a forced bet where the player has no idea what cards they hold. Everyone who plays at the table must pay an ante, or they cannot play until they do. Blinds are two bets placed before the first card is dealt in Texas Hold’Em and other games. They’re usually half of the minimum bet size but can be larger depending on house rules. The player on the dealer’s left will put up the small blind while the player to their left will make the big blind.

If you’re wondering how this works, here’s an example:

Let’s say you’re playing at a table with $2 blinds and a $2 ante. Each player must put up $4 before any cards are dealt. This means that the pot already has $32 in it before anyone knows what their hand will be. The player to the dealer’s left must put up $2 for the small blind, and the player to their left must put up $4 for the big blind.

Call

The term ‘call’ is used when a player stays in the game by matching the current bet. It can refer to whether or not a player is staying in or dropping out of the hand. A call is usually made by placing a certain amount of chips equal to that in the pot. This money goes into the pot, and if your hand wins, you get it back.

If you have ever played poker, you already know many different kinds of calls. Some of these include raising and betting. Each has its special meaning, but all mean the same thing.

When someone says “I’ll call,” they are saying they will match the bet that was just put into the pot by another player. They may also say that they will raise it if they feel their hand is better than others.

Check

Check is a poker term. It is one of the four options that players have during the betting round, including fold, call, and raise.

The term check means to bet nothing during a betting round. A player can choose to check only if no one else has made a bet during that round or if all other players have also checked. If you make a check, you are still in the game, but you choose not to bet at this stage. You will have to call or raise if another player bets on the current street or fold your hand if someone bets on a later street.

Raise

In poker, a raise is when you increase the size of your bet. The player who raises decides to increase their current stakes to keep playing at the table. Once someone has raised, all players have to decide whether they want to call that bet or fold.

Raising requires a strong set of cards or having a good possibility of winning with the hand. Raising allows you to win more, but it also puts you at greater risk of losing your money if another player has a stronger hand.

Players can continue raising until someone calls. This means that once someone raises, everyone else has to match that bet or fold their hand. The betting rounds will then end once all players have called, and players will reveal their hands.

What Are the Different Versions of Poker?

Poker is one of the most popular card games in the world. There are plenty of real money poker sites that are available to prospective poker players. While it has several variations, all versions of poker are played with a standard deck of cards and involve luck and skill. The exact rules differ from one variant to another, but typically players are dealt cards (some face-up and some face down), make bets based on the relative strength of their cards, and try to win the pot by having the best hand or by bluffing in a way that causes other players to fold.

Some of the most well-known forms of poker include:

Texas Hold’Em

Of the different poker variants out there, one of the most popular is Texas Hold’Em Poker. This game is played by using 52 cards, two for each player. A player must have the best hand of five cards (two in hand and three face-up) to win. All players must reveal their hands at once or fold if their hand isn’t strong.

Omaha

Omaha poker resembles Texas Hold’Em. Instead of dealing two hole cards to each player, Omaha deals four hole cards to each player. Players must choose exactly two of their cards at showdown to make their best hand, using either one or both of their private cards in combination with three community cards. The betting structure and blinds in Omaha are identical to Texas Hold’Em.

Omaha poker first gained popularity in the 1980s, partly because of its similarity to Hold ‘Em and also because it was seen as a refreshing change of pace. Though fixed-limit games are also popular, they are mostly played as pot-limit games. In pot-limit Omaha, the maximum bet is equal to the pot size (as opposed to no-limit games where players can bet all their chips).

7-Card Stud

7-Card Stud Poker is a version that is rarely played in casinos but is still one of the most popular poker games. In 7-Card Stud Poker, each player has seven cards, three of which are dealt face-down and four dealt face-up.

Players take turns betting on the value of their hands, with the best hand at showdown winning the pot. Like all versions of poker, 7-Card Stud Poker is a game where players bet on their hand’s value based on what they know about their cards and what they can infer from the other players’ bets.

5-Card Draw

5-Card Draw poker is a common version, where players are given five cards, the chance to discard and replace some of them, and then must make the best poker hand they can with what they have.

The game is played at a table similar to a Texas Hold ’em table, except that it seats only five people at most. Each player places an ante into the pot to get started. Then each player is dealt five cards face down.

High / Low Chicago

High/Low Chicago is a version of poker that uses slightly different rules from standard poker. This version of poker is played in many parts of the world, including Europe and Australia.

The game begins with one player dealing out five cards to each player in the game. The players look at these cards and decide whether or not to keep them. The players can either bet on their own hands or discard the cards they have been dealt and ask for new ones.

Follow the Queen

Follow the Queen poker is a variation of seven-card stud poker played with a wild card. In this variation, the player with the lowest upcard in the first round must make a forced bet (called a bring-in) equal to half of the minimum bet.

If two or more players tie for the lowest upcard, then suit rankings are used to break ties (diamonds, clubs, hearts, spades). The player with the highest-ranking card among those who made the bring-in must complete the bet, making it equal to a full minimum bet. This player also has the option of raising, but if they do not raise and another player raises, they must complete their raise. This continues until all betting action on the seventh street is complete.

Which Are the Top Poker Hands?

Poker is a unique game played at many different levels. You can play poker with friends at home or play in some of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. Regardless of how you play, some things never change. One of these is the ranking of hands. You might win a hand on a bluff, but if you don’t know what beats what, you’ll never be able to spot a bluff from an opponent! Here’s a quick rundown on the top poker hands.

Royal Flush

A Royal Flush is the highest-ranking poker hand. It consists of A, K, Q, J, 10, all of the same suit. Since all suits are equal, all Royal Flushes are equal. If more than one player has a Royal Flush, the pot is split among them.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is nothing but five cards in a sequence. However, all should be from one suit. It is a very strong hand, ranking above a four-of-a-kind and below a royal flush.

Four of a Kind

The Four of a Kind is a hand that contains four cards of one rank and an unmatched card. This is ranked just below a Straight Flush and just above a Full House.

Full House

A Full House hand consists of three cards of the same number or face value and two cards of another. For example, three 6s and two 7s. This is one of the strongest hands in poker, but it can be beaten by higher-ranking hands, including Four of a Kind, Straight Flush, and Royal Flush.

Flush

A flush is when all five cards are of the same suit. This is not to be confused with a straight flush. However, a flush can be cards in any sequence of the same suit. It is also not to be confused with a full house, which is when you have one pair and three-of-a-kind.

Straight

In poker, a straight hand is a five-card hand that is made up of sequential cards, such as 7, 8, 9, 10, and J. The cards can be any suit and do not need to all be the same suit (as with a flush). A straight hand with all cards of the same suit is called a straight flush.

The highest possible straight hand that can be formed from any combination of five cards is an ace-high straight (A, K, Q, J, 10), which is also called a Broadway Straight.

Three of a Kind

In poker, a Three of a Kind is a hand that comprises three cards of equal ranks, like three jacks. It ranks just below a straight and above two pairs.

If two or more players have this hand, the winner is determined by the value of the highest card in their three-of-a-kind set. For instance, if one player has three jacks and another has three kings, then the player with the three kings wins.

Two Pair

A two pair is a poker hand that contains two pairs of cards of the same rank, such as 2 and 2. This hand ranks just above One pair and just below Three of a Kind.

One Pair

One pair consists of two cards of the same rank and three cards of different ranks. For example, a hand with a five of hearts and a five of diamonds would be considered one pair because both cards are fives.

High Card

A High Card is a hand whose only significant feature is that it has a card with a higher value than the other cards in hand. It is an unranked poker hand, meaning that it does not share a ranking with any other poker hands.

FAQs

Is Straight Better Than a Flush?

A flush is defined as a hand that contains five cards from one suit, however not in sequence. Only three hands rank higher than a flush – the straight flush, four-of-a-kind, and a royal flush.

A straight is defined as a hand that contains five cards in sequential rank, but they can be from more than one suit. Aces may be high or low, so the lowest straight is ace through five, while the highest is ten through ace.

So which is better, a straight or a flush?

As you can see, even though there are more possible hands for a straight than for a flush, it is not strictly better. In fact, it’s not even close; a flush beats a straight.

If Two Players Have a Flush, How Is a Winner Determined?

When two players have a flush, the winner is determined by the player with the highest-value card in their hand. When comparing flushes, the hands are compared card by card, starting from the top down. If both hands have an identical high card, the next-highest card is used to break the tie. This process continues until one player has a higher-valued card than the other. The hand containing that higher-valued card wins.

Which Suit Color Is the Most Superior in Poker?

The color of the suit of your cards in poker does not make a difference. That’s because, in poker, suits are not taken into account when it comes to determining the winner. The only thing that matters is the value of your card, and its suit is entirely irrelevant.

There is no difference between a red suit and a black suit when it comes to the game of poker. So there is no need to worry about which color suit you should be playing with. It doesn’t matter what color your hand is as long as you have a good hand.

Conclusion

So there you have it. That completes our guide to poker hand ranking. Hopefully, you’ve learned something about the value of each of these hands and have a better understanding of what you’re playing for. We know it may sound complex to get your hands right, but practice makes perfect. If you’re looking for the best online casinos to practice a little poker, check our list of the best poker sites.