When playing poker, knowing the rankings of possible hands is absolutely fundamental. In every case, however, when players have hands that do not utilize all of the five cards, if players have equal hands, the player with the highest card that is not part of the hand wins. If, however, players have hands of equal values, and the remaining cards of the five are equal, the pot (chips) is then split between the players with the best hands. Following are the possible hands in poker, from weakest to strongest. The hands are made up of the best possible five cards from the two cards each player was dealt, and the five cards (in Texas hold 'em) dealt face-up on the table.
High Card: If no player has any of the following hands, the player with the highest card wins. If there is a tie (meaning two or more players have their highest five cards the same) the pot is evenly split.
Pair: Two cards of the same value will win the hand for a player if no other player has any of the following hands, or a higher pair. For instance, a player with a pair of Kings would lose to a player with a pair of Aces.
Two Pair: Two cards of one value, and two cards of another. The player with the highest pair wins, in the case of a tie. (two Aces and two 3's would beat a player with a two Kings and two Queens, but two Aces and two 3's would beat two Aces and two 2's).
Three of a Kind: A player has three cards of the same value. As always, the player whose three cards have the highest value wins.
Straight: Five cards in subsequent order. Straights with the highest cards win. For instance, 9,8,7,6,5 beats 8,7,6,5,4. Suits do not matter in a straight, unless all of the cards in the straight are the same suit, in which case it is a straight flush, the highest hand. An Ace in a straight can either be at the beginning, or end. Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10 is a possible straight (and the highest straight), as is the "wheel," which is 5,4,3,2, Ace, the lowest straight, but 3,2, Ace, King, Queen is not a straight, but rather an Ace high hand, as the Ace is not the first or last card in the straight.
Flush: Five cards of the same suit. The player with the highest card of the suit, or if it that is shared, the second highest (or third, if necessary) wins. 3,5,6,9, Ace of diamonds would beat 3,5,6, Queen, King of diamonds.
Full House: A pair and three of a kind. The player whose three card value is the highest wins. (10,10,10, 3,3 beats 9,9,9, Ace, Ace).
Four of a Kind: Four cards of the same value, all of which have different suits. The value of the quads, another name for the hand, matters. Four aces beats four Kings.
Straight Flush: A straight in which all of the cards are of the same suit. (3,4,5,6,7, all of which are diamonds). The value, again, matters. The highest possible straight flush is known as the royal flush, which consists of the 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit, and it beats every other hand in poker.
Whenever there is a tie, high cards are counted until each player has named their best five cards. When two players have three 6's, if they both have Ace and King after the 6's, it is a tie, even if one player's sixth card is a Queen, while the other has an 8. However, if they both have a Jack after the 6's, but one has a 9, and the other a 7 as the next highest card, representing the fifth card, the player with the 9 wins.
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