Hand Rankings

Every hand in poker has a ranking. Hands with a higher ranking beat hands with a lower ranking. The following general rules apply to ranking poker hands:

• Individual cards are ranked A, K, Q, J, T, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, A, with higher being better. The Ace is normally ranked high, but is considered low when used as part of an A-2-3-4-5 straight or straight flush.
• Hands are ranked by category first, then by individual card ranks. For example, the smallest flush beats any straight. Within a category, the ranks of individuals hands are used to break ties. For example, if two players both have Two Pair, the player with the highest pair wins. If both players have the same highest pair, the player with the highest secondary pair wins. If both players have the same two pairs, the player with the highest remaining card (called a "kicker") wins.
• Suits have no intrinsic value. Suits are only used to determine if a hand is a flush or straight flush. Otherwise, if two hands are identical except for suit, the hands are tied and the players split the pot.
• A hand always contains five cards. In Texas Hold'em, each player has two hole cards, plus the five community cards. The rank of each player's hand is based on the best five cards out of the seven. Consequently, hands such as "two Three of a Kinds" do not exist.
• The order of the cards within a hand does not matter.

Below are the different categories of poker hands, ranked from best to worst:

Name	Description	Example
Straight Flush	Five in a row, one suit	3 4 5 6 7
Four of a Kind	Four of the same rank	J J J J 2
Full House	Three of a Kind, plus two of a Kind	5 5 5 6 6
Flush	Five of the same suit	Q J 8 6 3
Straight	Five in a row	5 6 7 8 9
Three of a Kind	Three of the same rank	Q Q Q 3 7
Two Pair	Two of the same rank, twice	Q Q 3 3 7
A Pair	Two of the same rank	K K 9 5 4
High card	None of the above	K Q 9 5 4