Staying ahead of the curve and refining your skills is essential for success in the fast-paced poker world. But in poker, just like most anything else in life, you need to learn how to walk before you can learn how to run. That is why it is so important to learn what hands can beat what in poker, so learn more about the Hierarchy in Poker hands below.
Starting From the Bottom
Poker is a game where you will get paid with your big hands, but sometimes you will not connect on the five-card board at all. That is when the highest card in a player’s hand will earn them the pot. A classic example of two high card hands can be seen below.
In this case, the board has been dealt out queen high. The player at the top has a king in his hand, the second best no pair hand, however, the ace high on the bottom is the better of the two hands. But little money can be made on high cards alone. The big bucks come as we move up the Hierarchy in poker hands.
The Best of the Rest
Now let’s look at hands that connect with the board in some way, starting with a pair.
Pair: When one of your cards matches one on the board. The lowest pair is twos, the highest is aces.
Two Pair: When you have multiple pairs. This could be you pairing both of your hole cards as seen below, or a pair in your hand with a pair also on the board.
Three of a Kind: When you have three of the four cards of a certain domination. If you have Ace-King, and the board shows KQ7K5, you have three kings.
Straight: When you have five cards that run in consecutive order. The lowest straight is A-2-3-4-5, and the highest is A-K-Q-J-10, also known as broadway.
Flush: Next is when you have five cards all of the same suit. It could be three spades on the board and two in your hand, or four on the board and one in your hand. Flush strength is determined by the high card.
Full House: The next strongest hand involved a combination of three of a kind and a pair. This five-card combo is called a full house. For example, if you have 88 in your hand, and the board has come down 85452, you have a full house: 88855.
Four of a Kind: The next strongest hand is when you have all four of the same card. In a standard 52-card deck, there are four of each value, from aces to deuces. If you are fortunate enough to collect all four in one hand, you will have a nearly unbeatable hand.
Straight Flush: A straight flush is the next strongest hand in poker, and refers to any five cards in a row of the same suit that are any combination besides the royal flush combination mentioned above.
Royal Flush. Now we’ve reached the best possible hand. This is a straight flush, but of the five highest denomination cards: A-K-Q-J-10. While very rare in No-Limit Hold’em, you will see these more often in Pot-Limit Omaha or Stud games where players get more cards.
Summary
Now that you know the Heirachry in Poker hands, you can delve further into this fascinating game and see if poker is the right hobby, or potential job, for you.
