Poker Hand Rankings
Cards and the hand
All casino poker games (Russian Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold'em, Casino Hold'em) use a single 52-card deck with no jokers and the same hand rankings.
- Card ranks from lowest to highest: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack (J), queen (Q), king (K), ace (A).
- Suits (spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs) are equal: no suit outranks another.
- A poker hand is exactly five cards. When a player has more cards (six in Russian Poker after buying a card, seven in hold'em: two hole cards plus five community cards), the best five of them play and the rest are ignored.
- Only the set of five cards matters: the order in which they were dealt or lie on the table makes no difference.
Hands from highest to lowest
| Hand | What it is |
|---|---|
| Royal flush | Ace, king, queen, jack, ten of the same suit |
| Straight flush | Five consecutive cards of the same suit |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of the same rank |
| Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair |
| Flush | Five cards of the same suit, not consecutive |
| Straight | Five consecutive cards of mixed suits |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of the same rank |
| Two pair | Two pairs of different ranks |
| Pair | Two cards of the same rank |
| High card | None of the hands above; the hand is named by its highest card |
Comparing hands of the same rank
First the hand category is compared: any higher category beats any lower one (the weakest three of a kind beats the strongest two pair). If the categories are the same, cards are compared in order:
- Straight and straight flush: by the top card, so a jack-high straight beats a ten-high straight.
- Four of a kind: by the rank of the four cards, then by the kicker.
- Full house: by the three of a kind first, then by the pair, so kings full of deuces beat queens full of aces.
- Flush and high card: by the highest card, then the second, third, fourth and fifth.
- Three of a kind: by the rank of the three, then by the kickers.
- Two pair: by the higher pair, then the lower pair, then the kicker.
- Pair: by the rank of the pair, then by the three kickers from the top down.
- A kicker is a card that is not part of the combination itself but is part of the five-card hand. Cards beyond the best five never count.
- If all five ranks match, the hands are equal (a tie); suits do not break ties.
Hand 2Hand 2
Hand 2
The ace in a straight
The ace is the highest card, but in a straight it can also play as the lowest card, below the deuce. A-2-3-4-5 (the wheel) is the lowest straight and 10-J-Q-K-A is the highest. A straight cannot wrap around the ace: Q-K-A-2-3 is not a straight, just ace high.
Suits and ties
In casino poker suits have no rank, neither when the hand is identified nor when hands are compared. Two straights or flushes of the same ranks, or any two hands whose five ranks match, are a tie. How a tie is settled (bets pushed and so on) is described in the rules of each game.
Rules and pay tables are checked against wizardofodds.com. Casinos may differ — see Variants and differences.
Trainer modes for this game: what you calculate and how your answer is checked.
- Russian PokerThe player places an ante, gets five cards and decides whether to go on: the play bet is twice the ante.
- Poker: BonusesThe bonus pays for a strong player hand regardless of the dealer. The trainer uses the table for a 6-card hand (after buying the sixth card).