If you are looking to master the game of poker, there are many things you need to be aware of, order of hands being the most important. However, before we can get into the details, let us see what poker hands are.
The hands in a game of poker include High Card, Pair, Two Pair, Three of a Kind, Straight, Flush, Full House, Four of a Kind, Straight Flush and Five of a Kind. Five of a Kind is the strongest hand and the High Card is the least powerful.
The Top Five Hands in Poker – Poker Hands Order
The use of wildcards is a must when speaking of five of a kind combination. In games with wildcard, certain cards are given special powers. By these powers, players can use them to complete a hand. If two players finish up with five of a kind, the player holding the higher card is declared the winner.
When a player has a sequence of the same suit, he/she is said to have a straight flush. An example of same suit cards is 8, 9, 10, J, Q. This hand comes second in power to Five of a Kind. In terms of natural hands, it is considered to be the best.
Nest in line is the four of a kind combination. Here, the player holds four cards belonging to the same rank. Similar to Five of Kind, if two players finish with Four of a Kind, the one with higher ranked cards is declared the winner. If there is a tie in this aspect as well, then the fifth card is used to decide on the winner.
The next one is called a Full House. A player can claim a full house when he/she has a combination of a pair and three of a kind. So something like 8, 8, 8, 10, 10 would qualify for a Full House. If two players land up with a Full House, the player with a higher ranking pair wins the game.
The Flush comes next in the poker hands order. If a player manages to get five cards that belong to the same suit, it is said to be a Flush. For example, K, Q, 1, 4, 9. When two players land up with a flush, the individual holding higher value cards wins.
The Next Five Hands in Poker Hands Order
The Straight comes next in line of poker hands order. A player can be said to own a straight when he/she has five cards in a consecutive order. However, the cards must belong to different suits. So if a player has the sequence 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 from different suits, it is said to be a straight. Again, when two players finish with Straights, the one with higher ranking cards wins.
Three of a Kind is the next most powerful hand in poker. If a player has three cards belonging to the same cards and two others belonging to different ones, it is said to be Three of a Kind. In the case of a tie, the player with higher ranking cards wins the hand.
Two Pair is the next hand in poker. If a player has two pairs of cards and a different fifth one, it is said to be a Two Pair. A player possessing the higher ranking cards is declared the winner if two or more players tie on Two Pair.
Next in line is the second weakest poker hand; the Pair. When a player has a pair of cards belonging to the same card and the remaining cards of different ranks, it is said to be a Pair. In the case of a tie, the same rule of higher ranking cards applies to this hand as well.
The High Card is the weakest hand in Poker. If a player has five cards from different ranks and suits that does not qualify as any of the above hands is known as a High Card.