To win at poker, all you need to do is make a better hand than your opponents.

Easy, right? Ok, maybe it’s not that simple. But it’s impossible to win if you don’t know what the best hand is. So check out our poker hand ranking and make sure you know what beats what.

Let’s start from the top.....

Royal Flush

So pretty, so rare. A royal flush consists of a 10, Jack, Queen, King and Ace, all of the same suit.

In Texas Hold’em, the odds of making a royal flush using at least one of your hole cards are 1:32,486. So don’t expect to hit royals too often.

Straight Flush

A straight flush is made up of five consecutive cards of the same suit. 

The highest possible straight flush is a royal flush.

Four of a Kind

As the name suggests, four of a kind is made with 4 cards of the same rank. Four of a kind is also known as quads.

Full House

A full house consists of 3 cards of the same rank and 2 cards of another rank. A full house is also called a house, a full boat or a boat.

If you hold three kings and two fours, the hand is called kings full of fours, or just kings-full.

Flush

A flush is made with five cards of the same suit. The cards don’t need to be in sequence.

If two players make a flush, the flush with the highest card in it wins. If the highest card in your flush is, for example, a nine, it is called a nine-high flush.

Straight

A straight is made up of five consecutive cards, not all of the same suit. The highest straight runs from ten to the Ace.

This is called an Ace-high straight or Broadway straight. The ace can also be used to make the lowest straight, which runs from ace to five. This is called a five-high straight or a wheel.

Three of a Kind

Three of a kind is made with three cards of the same rank. It is also referred to as a set or trips.

Two Pair

Two pair is made up of… yes, two pairs: two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. If more players hit two pair, they first compare their highest pair to determine the winner.

So, for example, aces and threes beats kings and queens.

One Pair

A pair is made with two cards of the same rank. The highest pair is a pair of aces, the best possible starting hand in Texas Hold’em.

High Card

A high card isn’t really a hand at all. If you’ve failed to make anything, the highest card in your hand plays. If your highest card is an ace, your hand is referred to as ace-high. Not much, but still, you’re bound to win some showdowns with it.

As our poker journey continues, it's time to move onto The story of online poker.

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