Hand Ranking in Texas holdem

The first step to playing Texas holdem is to understand hand rankings. Players must know the strength of their hands in order to determine whether they have won or lost. The following list should help you with ranking texas holdem hands, and starts from weak to strong.

High Card: Five cards that do not form a hand with any redeeming value are measured in strength by the highest card of the five. The highest ranking card is an ace. The strongest high card hand is ace high. If two players have an ace, the next highest card determines the outcome.

Pair: A hand that contains two cards of equal rank. The highest pair is two aces. If two hands possess the same pair, the next highest card determines the best hand.

Two Pair: A hand that has two pairs of different ranks and one odd card. The hand with the highest pair is best. If both hands contain the same two pairs, the value of the fifth card determines the winner.

Three of a Kind: A hand that has three cards of the same rank and two cards that do not match.

Straight: A hand that has five cards of opposite suits in sequence. If two hands have five cards in sequence, the highest ranking card determines which hand is best. The highest straight is T J Q K A and the lowest is A 2 3 4 5.

Flush: A hand with five cards of the same suit. The high card determines the winner between two flushes irrespective of the suit.

Full House: A hand containing three cards of one rank and two cards of another rank. If two hands meet the criteria, the strength of the three of a kind determines the winner.

Four of a Kind: A hand with four cards of the same rank like four kings or four queens.

Straight Flush: A hand with five cards of the same suit in sequence, such as 5 6 7 8 9 all diamonds. If there are two straight flushes, the one with the highest card is best.

Royal Flush: The strongest hand in texas holdem containing an A K Q J T of the same suit.