Poker Hands

Standard Poker Hand Rankings

Standard poker hands, in order of rank from highest to lowest.

Royal Flush - the ten, jack, queen, king and ace of the same suit.

Straight Flush - A straight flush is comprised of any five cards of the same suit in sequence with no gaps. For example, the seven, eight, nine, ten, and jack of diamonds.

Four of a Kind - Four cards of the same rank, such as four aces.

Full House - Three cards of one rank and two of another, such as 3 fives and 2 queens. Also called a "boat".

Straight - Any five cards in sequence but not of the same suit. In many varieties of poker an ace can be used to make a straight as either the highest card (10-J-Q-K-A) or the lowest card (A-2-3-4-5).

Flush - Any five cards of the same suit, but not in sequence. For example, the 2, 5, 8, 9 and king of spades.

Three of a Kind - Three cards of the same rank, such as three jacks. Three of a kind is allso called a "set".

Two Pair - Two cards of one rank and two cards of a different rank. For example, 2 kings and 2 sixes. The fifth (unrelated) card is called the "kicker".

One Pair - Two cards of the same rank (value) and three unrelated cards.

High Card - Not exactly a hand, but a way to break a tie between players with none of the other combinations. If there is a tie between the highest cards, the second highest card breaks the tie. If both are tied, the third highest card determines the winning hand.

Hand Rankings in Lowball Poker:

In Lowball poker games (Draw Lowball, Razz, Deuce to Seven), Aces rank low and straights and flushes are typically ignored. The lowest hand you can have in most lowball poker games is A-2-3-4-5. Deuce to Seven is an exception - straights and flushes count high, making the lowest hand 2-3-4-5-7. In other lowball variations where straights and flushes count, A-2-3-4-6 is the lowest hand.

Hand Rankings in Hi Lo Split Poker Games:

In High Low poker games (Omaha Hi Lo is the most popular, though almost any variation of poker can be played with high-low rules) the pot is split between the player with the highest ranking hand and the player with the lowest ranking hand. Straights and Flushes count as standard high ranking hands. Aces can be either high or low - a pair of aces can be either high pair or low pair. The lowest combo in hi lo poker games is A-2-3-4-6.