If you’re new to poker, knowing which poker hand wins can feel like the key to unravelling the mysteries of this iconic game, while those looking to sharpen their skills already know their importance.
Either way, we’re here to show you that understanding winning poker hands in order is a lot simpler than you may imagine. The thing that’s so great about this table titan is, although it’s tough to master, it’s generally simple to understand – and there’s nothing more important to understand than winning poker hands.
Why poker hands are the first step in your poker betting journey
A lot of things go into making a great poker player. Indeed, some people spend many years practising and perfecting their skills to make it to an elite level. Considering this, knowing where to start when it comes to
how to play poker online
or in person can seem overwhelming to some. We suppose it comes down to understanding the rules of the game, as well as how the game is played.
We think that knowing the winning poker hand order is perfect because it manages to combine both of those considerations. Knowing which poker hand wins is not just fundamental to how the game is played but also how you succeed, and it therefore provides a framework for everything else you need to learn.
That’s why we’ve put this discussion on the winning poker hand order in its own article, as it operates as the ideal first step before we delve into other details. In fact, you can learn the winning poker hands before you decide which version of the game you want to try.
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Going through the different poker hands
There are 10 different standard poker hands. The basic concept behind this couldn’t be simpler: the better the hand, the more chance you have of winning. If two poker players were boxers, imagine that the ranking of each represents the power behind each punch. The stronger the hit, the more chance you have of knocking that out.
We’ve broken these down into three key categories based on their ranking. Remember though, all that really matters in terms of which poker hand wins is who has the strongest offering, even if it’s not among the highest ranking.
Weaker hands
We say weaker hands, as opposed to bad hands, because as we say, in terms of which poker hand wins, almost any can be a winner. Take our lowest ranking option, the high card. Quite simply, this is the highest card you have and your only option when you don’t even have a pair. Do note too that different versions of poker can have different ranking systems and it’s vital to understand any changes in those specifics, just as it is the card rankings.
Next is one pair, then two pairs. We’d say that’s all we’d consider to be weaker hands in a standard game of poker, as anything above this puts you in a significantly better position in terms of which poker hand wins.
Good hands
Now we’re getting to the good stuff. This is where you can begin to take more calculated risks and the game for you really opens. We start off simply enough with three of a kind: the natural next step up the winning poker hands list from two pairs. This works the same way, three of the same card, best ranking possible. We’re starting to get serious in our look at the winning poker hands chart because you’re going to need at least a straight to beat three of a kind.
Beating a three of a kind is a straight. This is five consecutive cards where at least one is of a different suite. So, for instance, when it comes to winning poker hands Texas Hold’em style, you could have a run of 2-3-4-5-6, with the three and four being of diamonds, and the rest being spades. There are also different names for the different kinds of straight based on their ranking. For instance, a wheel runs from ace to five, and a Broadway straight runs from 10 to ace.
Our next hand is one of the most dangerous in the whole game, not just because of its ranking but also because of its relative simplicity compared to the absolute strongest winning poker hands, and that’s the flush. This is where you have five hands of the same suit, but not in a sequence. It’s also an interesting hand because aces, in most forms of the game, are high for this hand.
Strongest hands
These are the winning poker hands dramatic movie scenes are made of. The ones where the villain looks across the table dumbstruck as a mountain of chips is pulled away. When asking which poker hand wins, it’s usually one of these.
Firstly, there’s the full house, sometimes known as a boat. This is where your three of a kind is met with a pair, and the highest three would determine which poker hand wins in a showdown. If you want to take on a full house, you’re going to at least need four of a king. Once again, this means four of the same rank. As you’re covering all suits, this can be an incredibly tough hand to get.
Speaking of difficult hands, we move to our finest winning poker hands. These are the straight flush, where you get five cards in a sequence, and the unbeatable royal flush, which is an ace, king, jack, queen and 10 all in the same suit. This is so rare that some professional players never see one in their whole career. In other words, it’s well and truly, game over.
Poker winning hands cheat sheet
We know that can be a lot to take in, so here are the winning poker hands by rank, simply explained for you to refer to whenever you need a reminder of which poker hand wins.
Royal Flush:
Ace, King, Jack, Queen and 10 all in the same suit
Straight Flush:
A sequence of any five cards, in the same suit
Four of a Kind:
Any four cards of the same ranking across all suits
Full House:
Both a pair and a three of a kind, the latter determines winner between two Full Houses
Flush:
No sequence required, five cards of the same suit
Straight:
A sequence of five cards, not in the same suit
Three of a Kind:
Any three cards of the same rank across any suits
Two Pairs:
Two cards of the same rank across any suits, twice
Pair:
Two cards of the same rank across any suits
High Card:
Your highest number card when you have no other good poker hands
Is this correct for all forms of poker?
It’s important to understand that there are a massive amount of poker variations out there. Some of the different options change which poker hand wins, or even what good poker hands and poker game hands generally look like. A couple of popular examples include Badugi and Razz, but there are plenty of others as well.
There are also those which change how individual cards themselves rank. The number of alternatives is pretty much endless when you consider there are plenty of non-standard poker game hands dictated by house rules. What we’ve provided here though is the most common you’ll find in the most popular versions of poker.
Winning poker hands Texas Hold’em style also works for other versions of the game, meaning that by understanding which poker hand wins under thes rankings, you’ll have access to the majority of games available. Most people would advise you start with these games if you want to learn how to play poker, even if you move to something a little more alternative in the future.
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Top 5 tips to memorize the poker hands
Ideally, you want to be able to know the poker game hands like the back of your own, so you can concentrate on the game itself. With that in mind, here’s five tips to help you remember the winning poker hands list.
Utilise the poker winning hands cheat sheet:
No one can stop you having that by your side while learning the winning poker hand order. Write it down and pop it by your keyboard if that helps.
Play for low stakes until you learn:
You should not be betting much at all until you have the winning poker hands chart committed to memory. Consider betting with friends for fun until you learn it.
Take some time to memorise them:
Put aside 20 minutes and try to memorise the ranking. Repeat until you can easily pluck them from your head at a moment’s notice.
Utilise our winning poker hands by rank system:
Lumping them into weaker, good and strong categories helps break down the information and makes it easier to digest.
Learn them out loud:
Say them, sing them, whatever helps the information stick.
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Conclusion – Knowing winning poker hands is key to success
Learning the winning poker hands in order is not just a vital part of understanding the game, it’s an ideal first step. Before you learn any other rules, before you consider any other games, we think that committing to understanding from memory the winning poker hands by rank will set you up perfectly for everything else you need to know.
Importantly, it’s likely much easier than newcomers imagine, with just 10 simple hands to memorise winning poker hands that are easy to understand. We hope our guide can help you not just understand the concepts behind the winning poker hand order, but also to commit them to memory.
Winning Poker Hands FAQ
✅ How do I know which poker hand is a winner?
There’s nothing more important to understand in poker than whether you’re holding a winner. It dictates everything about your next move and your ability to play the game. That’s why we have crafted an exclusive guide to the ranking of winning poker hands, so you can join a game with confidence.
❓ Is learning the different poker hands the best place to start?
A lot of different people would like to get involved in poker but don’t know where to begin. Many of them wonder if learning all of the different key poker hand rankings is a suitable entry point or if they would be better off starting elsewhere. In our guide to the winning poker hands, we’ll be discussing exactly how we think it’s best for newcomers to learn the rankings.
👍 Is learning the poker card ranking hard?
While plenty of people are interested in poker, it’s also fair to say that many are intimidated by the perceived difficulty behind the iconic card game. But how much of that reputation is fair? And how hard is it to actually learn something as fundamental as the different rankings of the cards? To find out whether you can easily learn about winning poker hands, check out our exclusive guide.
☝ Does the poker card ranking change depending on the game?
There are a lot of different types of poker. This can make the game even more intimidating to those looking to give this legendary casino staple a try. People want to know about rule distinctions, and there’s no more important than the rankings of the cards. In our look at winning poker hands, we’ll be addressing the subject of possible differences alongside the rankings you need to know.
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