If you are keen to learn how to play poker, there are quite a few things to know, including the poker hands order. Before we discuss the poker hands order, let us take a quick look at the poker hands.
The poker hands are the Five of a Kind, Straight Flush, Four of a Kind, Full House, Flush, Straight, Three of a Kind, Two Pair, Pair, and High Card. These hands exist in the order that they have been listed here: the five of the kind is the strongest hand while the high card is the weakest.
Poker Hands Order – The Top Five Hands
The five of a kind hand is possible only in poker games that allow the use of wildcards, i.e. cards that are given special powers that enable a player to use them in any suit or value. In a situation where two players have five of a kind, the player with the higher card wins.
The player is said to possess a straight flush if he has five sequential cards of the same suit (e.g. 8-9-10-J-Q). This hand is next in line to the five of a kind. It is considered the best natural hand.
The next strongest hand is the four of a kind. This hand has four cards of the same rank. In case there is more than one player with a four of a kind, the player with the higher ranked hand wins. In cases where there is a tie even in the ranks, the fifth card value determines the winner.
The next hand is the full house. A player is said to have a full house when he has a three of a kind and a pair, e.g. 10-10-10-8-8. In case of a tie, the winner is determined by the higher three of a kind value. In case of a tie again, the player with a higher pair is the winner.
The next hand in the poker hands order is the flush. A player is said to have a flush when he has five cards from the same suit, but not in sequential order, e.g. A-K-9-6-5. f two players have a flush, the higher value flush is the winner.
Poker Hands Order – The Next Five Hands
The next hand in the poker hands order is the straight. A player is said to have a straight when he has five cards in order, but not of the same suit. For instance, a player could have the cards 9-10-J-Q-K from three different suits. If two players have a straight each, the higher value straight is the winner.
The next hand in the poker hands order is the three-of-a-kind. This hand involves three cards of the same rank and two cards of different ranks. If two or more players have a straight each, the higher value hand is the winner.
The next hand in the poker hands order is the two pair. A player has a two-pair if his hand has a two distinct pairs of cards and a distinct fifth card. The player with the higher player wins if two or more players have two pairs. In case of a tie in the pairs, the fifth card determines the winner.
The second weakest hand in the poker hands order is the pair. A player with one pair of cards of same rank and three cards of different ranks holds this hand. The high card determines the winner in this case as well.
Finally, the weakest hand is the high card. This is a hand of cards of different ranks from different suits, which does not fall into any of the above categories.
