Poker hand ranking is one of the most valuable and essential elements of the game of poker. Not only is poker rank essential to the game, it is also essential to whether or not you win or lose when in competition against other players. The following poker hand ranks will get you into the winner’s circle with the winning hand in a poker game online.
The top poker card rankings in any game are the royal flush. A royal flush occurs when your card hand has five cards that are all spades, clubs, diamonds, or hearts. A good example of a royal flush would be 10-Jack-Queen-King-Ace, all diamonds. The “royal” flush will most naturally include the King, Queen, and Jack since the King and Queen belong to the royal family in any country. The “flush” ranks beneath the royal and straight flushes and allows cards of the same suit without any numerical order-for example, 5-6-2-4-3.
The next-hand ranking is a straight flush. This consists of cards in numerical order, all of one suit. A good example of a straight flush would be 2-3-4-5-6, all hearts. The royal flush outweighs the straight flush, since the King and Queen are worth more than the number cards of any suit.
Four of a Kind occurs with four of a single number (such as four 7s). The “kind” refers to the number not the suit: that is, you can have four 7s, all from different suits, and still have “four of a kind.” The three of a kind, another poker hand ranking, require three of the same number-yet, like four of a kind, the suits can vary.
The full house is the next poker hand ranking on the list of descending poker hands. A full house occurs when you have three of the same kind plus a pair of a single number. A good example of a full house would be 8-8-8-J-J. In this example, the three 8s can come from any of the four suits. You could have three 8s, one 8 a spade, another a club, and the last 8 a diamond, and you would still have three of a kind. The last pair that forms the full house has two of a single number. In the above example, the full house hand has two “Jacks,” but could also have two “Kings” or two “Queens.”
The Straight is next on the list of hand rankings. A straight has five cards in ascending numerical order of various suits. For example, you could have a three of spades, four of diamonds, five of clubs, six of diamonds, and a seven of hearts to constitute a straight. What makes this poker hand a straight is the numerical order from 3 to 7, not that all cards bear the same suit.
Other poker hand rankings consist of the two pair and the high hand. These rankings can aid you, no matter the poker game. Know these before you play the game, and you will be one step closer to victory.
In the privacy of your home, you can have poker charts and tables open to aid in your decision-making and make notes as you play. It is easy to know the exact pot odds (a concept that will be discussed in the next chapter) when you bet because the exact amount in the pot is displayed and you can tape a chart on odds from this book above your computer screen. When online, there is no one blowing smoke in your face, an uncomfortable distraction to many. If you do smoke, no one will complain or ask you to move.