Poker Hands: The Best and the Worst

Poker Hands: The Best and the Worst

Poker is a game of cards played for a monetary reward. Luck and skill are both faces of the same coin in terms of poker. One constant aspect in every form of poker is the poker hands scheme under which players with the best poker hand claim the pot. Obviously, fate may not always be on your side, and you may not end up with the best five-card combination. However, for the times that you do get a good rank, you could ease your way towards victory by employing the right strategies pertaining to the ranking you hold.

Poker Hand Rankings from Best to Worst

There are 10 poker hand rankings that you can possibly have using an end number of combinations. For games like Texas Hold’em these are absolutely vital. Using this poker hand ranking guide, we now rank the 10 hands from best to worst so you know which ones will benefit you, and which ones won’t.

• Royal Flush

The rarest poker hand is the Royal Flush which is also the best possible Straight Flush. This five-card combination ranks ahead of every other as it is unbeatable but can beat every other hand at the showdown. The Royal Flush consists of an Ace, a Jack, a King, a Queen and an Ace all from the same suit.

• Straight Flush

The Straight flush is the second-best hand ranking in poker games wherein all five cards are from the same suit and are in sequence. Suits are irrelevant in this hand ranking.

• Four of a Kind

The third highest poker hand ranking is the four of a kind where the player possesses four cards of the same rank. Suits are also irrelevant here, and this is one of the best poker hands to have. The fifth card in the hand is known as the kicker as it comes in handy during ties.

• Full House

This is another poker hand ranking that is often formed and mostly wins the pot. Full houses are also known as Full Boats, and they are formed with a three of a kind and a pair. Meaning, any three cards of the same rank in combination with any two cards of the same rank make-up the Full House.

• Flush

A highly sought after poker hand ranking, here the player must have five cards in a sequence from the suit those cards are from. The Ace-high flush is the best possible Flush combination.

• Straight

This poker hand ranking sees to it that the player has five cards in a sequence irrespective of the suit. Straights can either be high or low. The lowest possible straight is the 5-high Straight.

• Three of a Kind

This is such a poker hand where the player has three poker cards from the same rank. This is more common of the poker hands and often proves to be profitable if played wisely.

• Two Pair

The two pair as the name suggests is a scenario when the player holds a pair of cards of the same ranking, and two separate cards of the same ranking. The best two pair are Ace and King.

• One Pair

The second-last of all poker hands, the pair consists of two cards from the same suit. While this is not the worst poker hand possible, it also is not entirely beneficial, and poker players would not want to end up holding a pair.

• High Card

The worst hand ranking of all, the high card is said to be a five-card poker hand that does not fit in any of the above categories and so the card with the highest rank amongst the combination is attributed as the high card. High cards are also referred to as tiebreakers.

Now that you know of all the 10 ranks, why don’t you put your knowledge to test by playing your first game on Spartan Poker? Download our app and get started with playing exciting poker variants like Texas Hold’em, Omaha, and a whole lot more. You can play big money poker tournaments and stand a chance to win exciting prizes. Safe, secure and fun overall, Spartan is the place to be for poker lovers.